Learning to Trust
by marauderluverz
Summary: Kyoko and Ren's relationship is now public, but when Kyoko gets a job starring in a drama that's a high school romance will Ren's jealousy get the best of him? Or will he be able to look past the rumors and trust Kyoko? 3rd in HoMH series
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here is the first chapter of the third part of my Skip Beat fanfic. Part 1: The Accident, Part 2: Healing a Broken Heart. And now Part 3: Learning to Trust. Please enjoy and let me know what you think. (Btw for timeline purposes the 2nd part ended in mid November.)**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 1: Birthday Plans

 **December 20** **th**

Kyoko Mogami sat relaxing on the couch in her boyfriend's apartment. She was carefully reading through the script she had been given for her new drama. Ren Tsuruga sat on the other end of the couch reading through some drama offers he had received, trying to decide which ones to accept. However he kept getting distracted by watching Kyoko.

Every few moments she would run her fingers through her hair or bite her lip in thought. He hated that she was sitting on the other end of the couch, far away from his touch, but he was grateful to be spending the evening with her.

"What do you think of it so far?" Ren asked, jarring her from her silent musings.

She looked up. "Oh, it's, um, interesting…" she could feel a blush rising on her face.

"Interesting?"

She nodded. "It's a high school romance story about a spoiled heiress who is forced to get a job as her parents way of teaching her to value money." She explained.

Ren looked thoughtful.

"What?" Kyoko asked.

Ren laughed. "Nothing. I was just trying to picture you as a spoiled heiress."

Kyoko sighed. "I know. I'm so worried I won't be able to portray her well."

Ren watched as Kyoko's look turned gloomy. "I finally get to play the type of character I've always wanted, a rich young lady, and now I'm unsure if I'll do well."

Ren put an arm around his girlfriend and pulled her close to his side. "You'll do fine." He told her gently. "I believe in your talent and so does the president."

He had thought his statement would cheer her up but it seemed to only depress her more. "That's why I'm so scared that I'll fail you."

He couldn't help himself from kissing the top of her head. "Don't stress. When the character comes to you, you'll be fine."

Kyoko relaxed against him. _He's always so good at making me feel better._

"Besides," Ren spoke again, "I had something I wanted to ask you about."

Kyoko looked up at him. "Yes?"

Ren smiled at her charmingly. "I wanted to spend your birthday with you. We could take a day trip somewhere. What do you think?" he watched her and tried to gauge her thoughts by her expression.

"We really don't have to. I'm sure you have better things to do." She shook her head and began to get up. "Besides, I'm sure you've been invited to a lot of Christmas parties for that day."

Ren reached out and grabbed her hand to stop her from walking away. "I have no other plans."

Kyoko turned to him. Her face was flushed red. "We really don't have to do anything. I had such a wonderful party last year, I'm really not expecting anything."

Ren pulled her into his lap and hugged her. "And that's one of the many reasons I love you." He whispered into her ear. "However, I want to take you out for your birthday. So please spend the day with me."

Kyoko leaned her head against his chest. "Okay, Ren." She knew better than to keep arguing with him about it. Then she remembered something, and sat up suddenly. "Oh, but you'll have to pick me up from the President's house that morning then."

Ren stared at her in confusion. "The President's house?"

Kyoko nodded. "I'm having a sleepover with Maria the night before. We decided to spend the night between our birthdays together this year."

"I think that's great that you're spending your birthdays together." He told her with a sweet smile. He loved that Kyoko cared about Maria so much.

Kyoko began talking nonstop about all the fun things she had planned for them to do at the sleepover and before long it was time for Ren to drive her home. It made her sad to be apart from him, but happy because she knew he felt the same.

She exited the car when they reached Darumaya. "Will I see you tomorrow?" she asked him as she looked back into the car.

Ren nodded. "I think Yashiro has it planned for us to have lunch together."

She laughed. "He's always planning those sort of things, isn't he?"

He smiled. "Yes, but I don't really mind."

 **December 24** **th** **6:00PM**

Kyoko stood outside of the large mansion staring up at the huge door before her. _Wow…_ she reached out and rang the doorbell.

The door opened to reveal a petite maid. "Good evening." Kyoko said with a bow. "I'm Kyoko, and I'm here for Maria-chan's sleepover."

The maid smiled and returned the bow. "Good evening, please come in."

She opened the door further and Kyoko stepped inside.

"May I take your coat for you?" she offered to Kyoko.

"Oh, thank you." Kyoko shrugged off her jacket and handed it to the maid. The maid hung it in a nearby closet. Before returning to lead Kyoko up the stairs.

"Maria-san, Kotonami-san, and Amamiya-san are all waiting in Maria-san's room." The maid told Kyoko as she led her down a long hallway.

She knocked on a door, and then opened it to allow Kyoko to enter. Kyoko was in awe of the sight before her. Maria's room was huge and perfect for that of a rich young lady. Complete with a large four poster bed, a fireplace, a window seat, everything Kyoko considered important for her mental image.

"Big sis!" Maria yelled as she hugged Kyoko.

Kyoko laughed. "Hi, Maria!"

The older girl looked up and waved to Chiori, and then spotted Moko.

"Hi, Moko!" Kyoko called excitedly.

Moko sighed. "I knew it was a bad idea to come here."

"I'm so excited we get to spend time hanging out together!" Kyoko exclaimed.

Maria showed Kyoko where she could set her bag, and then showed her to the bathroom so she could change into her pajamas.

After she changed, the girls ate dinner in Maria's room while they watched television. Before long it was midnight and Kyoko pulled out three small wrapped boxes from her bag. She handed them to each of the girls.

"I wasn't able to get anything big, but I wanted to thank you for always being friends with me." She said before gesturing for them to open the presents.

Inside the boxes were handmade friendship bracelets that Kyoko had obviously spent plenty of time on.

"Thank you so much!" Chiori said as she hugged Kyoko.

Maria quickly put hers on. "I love it, Big sis! You even managed to put little skulls on mine."

Kyoko beamed at the praise she was receiving. She glanced at Moko to see her reaction.

"Dammit," she muttered under her breath as she struggled to clasp the bracelet around her wrist.

Kyoko moved towards her. "Here, let me help." She reached over and clasped the two ends of the bracelet together.

Moko looked up at Kyoko. "Thanks." She said before a slight blush tinged her cheeks and she looked away. She moved across the room to dig through her own bag. Finally she pulled out a small wrapped package.

She held it out towards Kyoko. "I saw it and thought you might like it."

Kyoko took the package and unwrapped it. Inside was a small sparkly tiara with a rhinestone decorated "18" on it.

"I figured you could wear it since it's your eighteenth birthday." She looked at Kyoko's face and saw tears.

"Thank you, Moko…" Kyoko moaned as she tried not to lose herself to tears.

Maria and Chiori came closers to see what Kyoko had received.

"You should wear it tonight, Big sis!"

Kyoko laughed and put it on. She could already tell that this year would be an even better birthday than the year before.

"So, now should we have girl talk until we fall asleep?" Maria asked.

Chiori nodded. "Yes! That sounds like fun!"

Moko frowned. "What are you counting as girl talk?"

Maria shrugged. "Scary stories, voodoo dolls, curses?"

Chiori stared in shock at the young girl's ideas of "girl talk."

"I think it's supposed to be more of things like clothes, make up, and boys…" she said.

"But the only one of us who has a boyfriend is…"

They all looked at Kyoko. She blushed. "I don't really know anything that's worth talking about." She confessed.

"What's it like dating Ren?" Maria asked. She was fully focused on her big sister.

Kyoko sighed as she tried to think. "Um, well, he's taking me out tomorrow for a day trip." She said uncertainly.

Maria's eyes went wide. "Do you know what you're gonna wear? What about your hair and make up?"

Moko rolled her eyes. "If this is what we are talking about I'm going to sleep." She laid down on her make shift bed that had been set up.

"Don't you want to help give your best friend advice though?" Chiori asked.

"Not really." She closed her eyes and began to drift off to sleep as she listened to the other three girls planning out Kyoko's look for the following day.

In reality, she was very happy for her friend. She was glad that Kyoko had been able to gain back her ability to love. But she also knew that if Ren ever did anything to hurt her, she'd kill him. Well, at least maim him.

The next morning, Kyoko got up early and got ready with the help of Maria and Chiori. Things went smoothly until they couldn't decide how she should wear her hair. It had grown out recently and fell to almost her shoulders.

The pair had tried a couple of different styles without success. Moko looked up at them from the magazine she was flipping through. She sighed and went to stand behind where Kyoko was sitting. She held out her hand.

"Here, give me the comb. I'll handle this." She worked quickly and Kyoko couldn't help but beam at the thought of her best friend styling her hair.

Half an hour later, Ren pulled up in front of the President's mansion. He rang the doorbell and was led into a parlor to wait.

He heard footsteps on the stairs nearby and looked up expecting to see Kyoko.

"Ren!" Maria yelled as she threw herself into his arms. He laughed and hugged her.

"Good morning, Maria-chan. How did your sleepover go?" he asked.

She smiled. "It went great!" she glanced around then gestured for him to lean in so she could whisper to him. "By the way, Big sister looks really cute today."

Ren pulled back in surprise, but before he could respond he heard another set of footsteps. When he looked towards the door he saw Kyoko.

She was dressed in a light pink skirt that fell to just above her knees, and a gray sweater, along with some gray boots (ones she borrowed from Chiori). And her hair was tied into two braids.

Ren smiled when he saw her. He gestured to Maria that he wanted to whisper something to her. She listened and her eyes lit up before she ran to a nervous looking Kyoko. She tugged on Kyoko's arm. Kyoko leaned down and listened.

"Ren says he thinks you look really cute today."

Maria giggled at the sight of Kyoko's face turning red. Kyoko turned away from Ren. "Well, we'd better be going now. Thank you for the sleepover last night, Maria-chan."

Ren and Maria laughed again at how stiff Kyoko's voice sounded but they bid their goodbyes and Ren followed his girlfriend out to his car.

 _Today is certainly going to be fun._ Ren found himself thinking as he held open the car door for Kyoko. He climbed into the car and looked at her.

"Happy birthday, Kyoko." He leaned in a gave her a quick kiss on her cheek before putting the car into gear and pulling away from the mansion.

Kyoko touched the spot on her cheek where he had kissed her. _How does he still make me feel so shy?_ She glanced at Ren.

"So where are we heading first?"

 **A/N: Also, I'd like ideas for where Ren should take Kyoko! Please keep in mind it's only a day trip and it's winter. :) I look forward to your ideas!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Birthday Date

Kyoko glanced at Ren. He still hadn't told her where they were going to spend the day. She felt nervous and was wishing she hadn't eaten such a large breakfast at Maria's house.

The radio was on, playing a mix of current popular music, but both passengers were silent. Finally, Ren spoke, breaking the silence.

"Did the sleepover go well?" he asked.

Kyoko jumped. She hadn't expected him to suddenly start talking. "It was fun." She said.

"Just fun?" he prodded.

Kyoko blushed slightly at his teasing tone. "It was a lot of fun. I got to give all three of my friends friendship bracelets I made. And Moko have me a tiara." She was starting to relax now. _I don't know why I'm so nervous today, we've been on dates before. Maybe not a lot but still._

"I'm glad you had an enjoyable time." Ren said as he drove. Finally he pulled into a parking space outside of a large wooden cabin. "Well, we are here."

Kyoko looked around. "What is this place?"

"It's a tourist town called 'Snowflake Village'." He said with a smile before climbing out of the car.

Kyoko followed and found herself staring at her beautiful surroundings. Aside from the lodge they were currently near she could see a street lined with various shops, and at the end of the street, in what looked to be some sort of town square, stood a towering Christmas tree.

She took a breath. "Wow. It's beautiful."

Ren couldn't be happier. He was betting on her liking the novelty of a place like this, and he had bet correctly.

"I thought we could begin by looking through the shops." He told her as he held out his hand to her.

Kyoko couldn't help the slight pink tinge that appeared on her cheeks as she locked her hand in place with his. "Let's go." She replied with a smile, and the two headed off in the direction of the nearest shop.

After walking around for a couple of hours, Ren heard Kyoko's stomach growl loudly. He couldn't help but laugh. "Are you hungry?" he asked, in a teasing tone.

Kyoko glared at him. "Just because you hate food doesn't mean you have to tease me every time I get hungry." She moved forward to walk ahead without him but he refused to let go of her hand.

"Ren!" she exclaimed and he could tell even without seeing her face that she was pouting. He smiled and pulled her back to him. She fell against his chest, her free hand being used to steady herself against him.

He looked into her eyes, "Yes, Kyoko?"

Her look softened and she stuck out her tongue at him. "You are a brat." She told him before pushing away from him.

He laughed at her words. "And yet, you still love me." He said the words quietly, but was still satisfied when he saw her blush.

He began to pull her along with him. "Now let's go eat lunch."

He led her to a small café and they entered and after ordering their lunches, found a small table to sit at. It was perfect for Kyoko because it was near a huge window that allowed her to continue enjoying the view of the town.

Ren smiled as he watched her eyes dance in excitement. "What has been your favorite thing so far?" he asked her after a moment.

She looked thoughtful as she swallowed her food. "I really liked the snow globe shop! Who would've guessed they'd have a store just for that?"

He was happy. _I figured she'd like that one._

She looked at him curiously. "What about you?" she asked, "What's been your favorite thing?"

"Watching you." He said with a smirk.

Kyoko blushed, then recovered by glaring at him. "That's not what I meant."

Ren laughed at her response. "I'm sorry, I've enjoyed everything though. Just being with you has made it fun."

Kyoko looked unsatisfied with his answer but decided to let it slide. She glanced around at the other people in the café and saw a few people carrying ice skates. She turned back to Ren.

"Is there an ice skating rink here?" she asked.

Ren nodded. "I think so."

Kyoko's eyes lit up. "Can we go ice skating?"

He chuckled at her enthusiasm. "We can do whatever you want to do. It's your birthday."

Kyoko looked as if she had forgotten that fact. "Oh, that's right."

The couple finished their lunch and Ren made sure to ask one of the employees where the staying rink was. They headed in that direction, occasionally stopping to look in a shop that interested them.

When they finally reached the skating rink Kyoko stopped, staring at the beautiful sight before her.

Stretched out before her was a large lake covered with ice. Surrounding it was a small wooden fence and trees dotted the land nearby. Between the snow on the ground and in the nearby trees it truly felt like a winter Wonderland. She grabbed Ren's hand and pulled him over to the admission booth.

The woman gave them the prices for admission and skate rental and within a few minutes the pair was seated on a nearby bench to put on the skates.

"Have you skated a lot?" Ren asked her as he watched her quickly lace up her skates.

Kyoko nodded. "When I was a kid I used to go a lot. And when I got older I tried to take every opportunity to go." Her cheeks flushed pink and Ren wasn't sure if it was from the cold or her own shyness. "It reminds me of flying." She whispered. "I like to imagine I'm flying, when I skate."

 _Ah, so it's something like that._

Kyoko got to her feet. "Are you ready?" she asked, looking at him excitedly.

He finished tying his skate before standing. "Yes, let's go."

They made their way across the snow and Kyoko smoothly entered the ice after showing her wristband ticket to the attendant. She skated a couple of feet away, but spun around when she heard the sound of someone fall.

There was a very stunned looking Ren sitting on the ice. He had tried to step in carefully but had only succeeded in falling straight to the ground.

Kyoko returned to his side, as the attendant helped Ren up. She could see a slight blush on his cheeks. He pulled himself to the side gripping the railing. Kyoko looked up at him, before looking down.

"I'm sorry, I didn't even think to ask if you knew how to ice skate." She said, her guilt evident in her voice.

Ren tried to brush off his embarrassment with a laugh. "It's not your fault." He said. "It's been a long time since I've skated. I'd forgotten how difficult it can be."

Kyoko looked up at him again. This time there was a small smile on her face. She held out a hand towards her boyfriend. "Then can I help you?"

Ren fought down the feelings of pride. He grabbed her hand and nodded. "Thank you, Kyoko."

She began to pull him along the wall. She guided him through the basics of skating before she could get him to release his other hand from the fence. She held out her other hand to him.

"Are you ready to try it without holding onto the fence?" she asked.

Ren was unsure. He really didn't want to fall on his butt again. "Maybe I should just stay here by the edge."

Kyoko was in shock. _Is he really scared of falling?_ She wondered.

A playful thought crossed her mind. "Is The Ren Tsuruga afraid of a little ice?" She had a mischievous glint in her eye.

Ren felt his pride swell up. He was not going to let her think he was weak. He masked his fear with a sparkling smile before letting go of not only the fence but also her hand.

"I'm not afraid. I can do it." He said forcefully. He skated forward a few steps and Kyoko thought he was doing fine but then he lost his footing and his skate slipped. He tumbled to the ground again, a few curse words mumbled under his breath.

Kyoko skated to his side. She forced herself not to laugh when she saw the irritated look on his face. She held her hands out to help him up. "How about we hold hands and skate together? I'll skate backwards and you can follow me."

Ren wanted to give up and storm off the ice. He didn't really enjoy skating anyways. But when he saw the hopeful look on his girlfriend's face he was reminded why they were there. _Do it for her. She's not used to having someone spend her whole birthday with her._ He reached up and took hold of her hands, allowing her to pull him to his feet.

Kyoko beamed at him. "Let's go slowly."

He nodded in agreement and allowed her to pull him along. Suddenly, skating seemed a lot more fun. Holding her hands, looking into her eyes, this made it worth it. The pair skated for nearly twenty minutes, enjoying their time together.

Until Kyoko's skate hit a stray rock. She let out a cry of surprise before both she and Ren lost control. They were both flung to the edge of the ice, causing them to land in a pile of snow.

Kyoko brushed some of the snow off of herself. She looked at Ren who was sitting on the ground next to her, still in the spot he had landed. "Are you okay, Ren?" she asked, concern filling her voice. "I must've tripped on something. I'm sorry."

Ren took in the flustered look on her face, along with the way they were both covered in snow, and he couldn't help himself from laughing.

Kyoko frowned. "What are you laughing for?"

Ren struggled to catch his breath and stop laughing. "To answer your first question: I'm fine. And for the second: I think I just feel better now that we've both fallen. I don't feel so foolish anymore."

Kyoko listened to his words before smirking at him. She scooped up some of the snow and threw it at him.

"Hey!" he yelled. Responding by throwing snow at her as well. After a few minutes of their impromptu snow fight, Kyoko sneezed.

Ren shivered as a cold breeze hit them. "We should probably get out of these wet clothes before we both catch a cold."

Kyoko nodded and got to her feet before helping Ren up as well. They made it out of the ice rink and retrieved their things from the woman at the booth, before heading to a nearby clothing shop. Both of them were completely soaked and they quickly purchased some warm clothes. Kyoko had tried to argue that she could pay for her own clothes but was forced to give in and let Ren pay once she saw the prices.

Once they exited the store, Kyoko looked around to find a bathroom they could change in.

"We could go to back to the lodge?" Ren said.

"You're right! They probably have a bathroom we could use to change." Kyoko spoke enthusiastically but Ren could hear her teeth chattering. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"Ack! Ren, what are you doing?" she cried out.

He laughed. "I'm trying to keep you warm."

Kyoko sighed but gave in when she felt his body heat warming her.

When they reached the lodge, Ren stepped up to the desk and spoke to the man there. Kyoko assumed he was asking about a bathroom but when he returned he was carrying a card key for a room. Her eyes widened and she found herself taking a step back.

"Tsuruga-san, I- we cant!" she had reverted back to calling him by his surname out of shock at what the key implied.

Ren chuckled at her reaction. "I just figured it would be better if we were able to bathe and warm up. I'm not thinking of anything past that." The last part was technically a lie, but he had known nothing would come of the room he had so cleverly reserved ahead of time.

Kyoko's face relaxed and she nodded, accepting his explanation. The pair made their way up to the room. When they entered Kyoko found herself staring. It was a beautiful room, most of the furniture was a beautiful dark wood, including the king size bed that sat in the middle of one wall. There was a sliding door on the far side that opened onto a balcony where she could see the sunset clearly. She ventured farther into the room, heading down the small hallway that led into an oversized bathroom. A large bathtub rested against one wall with a shower opposite it.

Kyoko couldn't believe what she was seeing. _But how could a room this beautiful be available on Christmas…_ "Oh…" she could feel a blush on her face and she turned to look at Ren who had suddenly taken a very deep interest in the tile on the wall.

"You reserved this room ahead of time, didn't you?" it wasn't really a question. The answer was obvious to her. Ren stayed silent but a blush began to creep up his face. She continued speaking, "There's no way a room this wonderful would be available on Christmas. What were you planning?"

Ren sighed and sat down on the edge of the bathtub. "I was just thinking that if we wound up staying late, we could stay here instead of driving home."

Kyoko sat next to him. She was struggling within herself. As much as it scared her to be alone with him in a hotel room overnight with only one bed, she couldn't help but feel touched that he had gone through all the trouble of finding such a perfect room.

She took a deep breath. "We can stay here tonight."

Ren's head whipped around to looked at her. Had she really just said what he thought she'd said?

"I mean, I'd hate for such a beautiful room to go to waste." She continued.

Ren tried to keep his face blank. He didn't want to look too happy and scare her away. He quickly changed the subject.

"Well then, we should probably take our baths and change. I made reservations for dinner in the restaurant downstairs at six." He told her as he stood up.

Kyoko nodded. "You can take a bath first. You should get out of those wet clothes."

Ren opened his mouth to argue but Kyoko was already walking out of the bathroom. She set the bag of clothes just inside the door and then disappeared into the bedroom.

Ren punched the air, celebrating his success of getting her to at least stay the night there. He dared not hope for more. He knew how Kyoko felt about such things and he knew that she planned to wait until she was married.

 _I can handle that. As long as I'm the one she marries._

 **A/N: Hey all! I hope you enjoyed chapter 2! I had originally pplanned to cover their entire date in this chapter but it wound up being longer than I had expected. But I promise that after chapter 3 we will really get into the plot. Lol. But I'm enjoying the fluff in the meantime.**

 **From here on out I will update this story every Friday night. :) I decided I need to pace myself, also I have a few otherfanfics I want to start writing so that should give me time to do so.**

 **Thank you to all my readers and reviewers. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)**

 **-marauderluverz**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So, yes I know it's not Friday yet... but it turns out I'm as impatient to write this as you all are to read it. This chapter is a bit shorter but I hope you enjoy it because this chapter gets us into some of the actual plot. :) thanks for reading!**

Chapter 3: Dinner and an Introduction

When Kyoko exited the bathroom after her bath, she was greeted with the sight of her boyfriend fast asleep on the king sized bed in their hotel room. She smiled and tried to suppress a giggle.

"I guess all that falling down really wore him out." She said to herself as she walked over and sat down on the bed. "Wow, this really is a comfortable bed." She pushed her hand against the soft mattress.

She soon found herself laying back against the pillows. "It is really comfy…" she muttered as she felt her eyes beginning to close.

 _Buzz! Buzz!_

Ren barely opened his eyes enough to find his cell phone and turn off the alarm. He turned his head and saw Kyoko lying next to him, her body cuddled against his. He couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face. He leaned over to Kyoko.

"Good morning, love," he whispered as he pressed his lips to her own.

Her eyes opened slowly, blinking in the light of the room. "Morning?" she mumbled. Her eyes shot open and she sat up. "What?" she looked around the room, her eyes settling back on Ren who was smirking at her.

He laughed at the surprise on her face. "It looks like we fell asleep after our bath." He told her.

"What time is it?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes.

 _Why does she have to be so cute all the time?_

"It's 5:30. I had set an alarm to give us time to get ready for our dinner reservation." He explained.

Kyoko nodded before climbing out of the bed. "Well then, let's make sure we aren't late."

Ren grabbed her hand. "Wait, we still have plenty of time." He pulled her back onto the bed next to him and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm not quite ready to let you go."

Kyoko stiffened at first, but gradually found herself relaxing in his arms. She reached a hand up and began to play with his hair.

"Your hair is always so soft." She murmured.

He chuckled softly. "Well, I'm glad you like it."

She shook her head. "No, I'm jealous of it." She said seriously.

He laughed again and looked into her eyes. He ran his own fingers through her hair. "If it makes you feel any better, I think your hair is pretty soft too."

Kyoko blushed, but a soft smile lined her lips.

"But not as soft as mine." He finished as he hurriedly climbed out of the bed. Barely avoiding being punched in the arm.

Kyoko glared at him. "You always have to tease me, don't you?"

The two of them soon made their way down to the restaurant and were quickly seated. As they ate dinner, Ren searched for the right moment to give her his present.

 _Last year, Kotonami-san managed to overshadow my present. This year she won't be able to._ He thought as he finished eating.

When the waitress came and took their plates, Ren pulled out a small gift bag and set it on the table. He watched as her eyes lit up.

"What's this?" she asked.

"It's your birthday present."

Kyoko pushed it back towards him. "No, I really don't need anything else. You've already done so much for me today! I couldn't expect to get a present on top of everything else."

She continued to shake her head vehemently until Ren sighed. The happy smile from moments before was now replaced with his sparkling gentleman smile.

"It's rude to refuse a present, _Mogami-san_." Kyoko shrunk back from his sparkling irritated smile. She grabbed the gift.

"Very well then. I'll accept it so that I'm not rude." She pulled out the tissue paper and inside was a flat box. She opened it and gasped. Inside was a beautiful bracelet.

The bracelet had the appearance of a thin gold vine that had pink pearls embedded throughout it. "It's beautiful." She whispered.

Ren beamed at her reaction. He had hoped she would like it. "Did you want help putting it on?" he offered.

Kyoko stared at him incredulously. "Put…it…on?" she glanced down at the bracelet. "No, I can't put it on! I might break it or lose it!"

Ren stared at her. _Does she intend to just put it on display in her room? Well, I guess she does that most of the time with "Princess Rosa."_

"Kyoko, I got that for you as a way to show you how much I love you. So I ask that you wear it as often as possible." He spoke sternly but she could see the love in his eyes.

She nodded. "All right. I'll wear it then." She handed the bracelet to him and held out her hand.

He fastened the piece around her wrist and watched as she examined it. "It really is so beautiful," she said softly as she looked at it. _It's definitely the nicest thing I own._

She looked back at Ren with a smile. "Thank you so much, Ren."

After Ren paid the bill, they decided to walk around town. It was dark now and all of the shops seemed to have Christmas lights up. Ren had suggested they get hot chocolate and go to look at the large Christmas tree Kyoko had been so interested in.

As they walked, Ren put his arm around his girlfriend. He could honestly say that he was finally happy.

 **3 weeks later**

Kyoko Mogami rushed into TBM studios searching frantically for the conference room where she was supposed to meet the cast of her new drama. She pushed the button for the elevator and anxiously checked the time as she waited. _I'm already five minutes late._ She was panicking. It should have been easy.

She had woken up on time, and ridden straight towards the station. She had not expected however for the road to be completely closed off due to construction, causing her to have to take a detour. And then when she had finally reached the studio she had raced to the conference room listed in her schedule only to find a note on the door saying they had moved to a different one three floors up.

The elevator doors opened and she climbed inside. It was empty so she quickly pressed her floor number and the close doors button. Just as the doors were about to close she heard someone yell.

"Wait! Please!"

Her reflexes caused her to press the open door button and she looked around to see who the voice belonged to. A teenage boy who looked to be around her age was running down the hall at lightning speed.

He jumped into the elevator, and doubled over breathing hard. "Thank…you…so…much!" he managed to gasp out. He reached up to push the button for his floor but his finger paused over it, seeing it was already lit.

He looked over at Kyoko, and stared at her intently as though trying to place her. "Are you by any chance Kyoko?" he asked.

Kyoko stared at the boy before her. He was dressed in jeans and a light green Polo style shirt. Guessing his height, he seemed to be around 5'10" and he had light brown hair that fell into his light blue eyes. All in all, she had to admit he was handsome.

She realized he had spoken to her. She was bothered by the fact that he had called her without using a suffix, but thrilled that he seemed to recognize her.

"I am Kyoko. But you shouldn't speak so familiarly with someone you just met." She said, trying not to let through too much of her scolding tone.

He laughed. "Sorry, what is it I'm supposed to call you?"

She frowned. _How does he not know the proper way to call someone?_

"You're probably wondering how it is that I don't know. This is actually the first time I've ever been to Japan. I'm from Britain." He explained.

A look of understanding crossed her face. "Oh! So that explains your accent." She blushed realizing she had said that allowed, but was then distracted as the elevator dinged and opened on their floor.

They stepped out and began walking in the same direction.

"You can call me Kyoko-san or -chan. Either is fine." She told him.

He nodded and held out a hand to her. "It's nice to meet you Kyoko-chan. My name is Yukia Moore."

Kyoko shook his hand and then they entered the conference room. The director looked up, a smile on his face. He stood up quickly and greeted both of them.

Kyoko immediately bowed low. "I am so sorry I'm late, Director. I know it is completely unacceptable."

The director laughed, "Kyoko-san, you don't need to apologize. It probably took you longer to get here because of the last minute room change. Anyway, you're our star. We are just delighted to have you."

Kyoko stared at the director in shock.

He turned to the boy standing beside her. "And Yukia-san, so nice to finally meet you. I've heard great things about you and your work in Britain and American films. We are so grateful to have you on our team."

He shook Yukia's hand and the teenager blushed at the greeting. The director looked between them. "So I see you two have already met, that's great!"

Kyoko stared at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

The director gestured to Yukia. "He is playing your co-star. He's the one you fall in love with."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: New Friends

 _The director gestured to Yukia. "He is playing your co-star. He's the one you fall in love with."_

"Excuse me?" Kyoko asked, her mouth agape.

"He's playing your love interest." The director explained slowly.

Yukia smiled at Kyoko. "I look forward to working with you. I've watched the other dramas you've been in and I've seen the music video you were in. You seem to be really talented."

Kyoko found herself blushing at the words of praise. She bowed, "Please take care of me, Yukia-san."

A few minutes later, they were all seated around the table with the other actors. So far they had actors to play Kimi's (Kyoko's character) parents, a few of her friends, co-workers for both of them, and her boss.

They did a read-thru of the first episode which covered Kimi accidentally crashing the car her father had given her, and not being sorry. Her parents then deciding to teach her a lesson by forcing her to take a job at a fast food shop in a local mall.

As they wrapped up the read-thru the director made an announcement.

"For most of filming we'll be working off of a set here in the station. There are a few scenes that we will need to shoot in the actual mall nearby but that won't happen for a few episodes. Please try and memorize your lines for the first three episodes and we'll be working on that starting February 5th."

Everyone nodded or spoke their agreement and then they were dismissed. The director asked if he could speak with Yukia for a minute and Kyoko rose to leave.

The other actor turned to her. "Um, Kyoko-chan? Could I ask you to please wait for me? I needed to talk to you about something."

Kyoko was surprised but agreed before stepping out into the hallway. She found herself thinking over this co-star of hers. _Well, he seems nice enough. And he's worked in a lot of television shows and movies in Britain, and America from the sound of it. Hopefully we'll act well together._

She looked up when she heard the door open. Yukia stepped out into the hallway. He looked surprised.

"Oh, you waited."

Kyoko laughed. "Well, you asked me to, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but I didn't think you would." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I just, my manager isn't here yet and I didn't really want to wait alone."

Kyoko couldn't help but smile. "I don't have my next job for a couple of hours so I can wait with you."

Yukia smiled in return. "Perfect! So," he talked as they began to walk to the elevator. "Where's your manager?"

"Oh, I don't have one. At least not yet. I think my company is looking to get me one soon though." She answered.

His eyes widened. "But you've been in quite a few dramas right? And now your starring in one. Plus," his voice changed to a whisper as they stepped into the elevator. "Aren't you dating Ren Tsuruga?"

Kyoko looked surprised and opened her mouth to deny it, then realized she didn't have to. "Yes, I am." She replied, a blush creeping onto her face.

"I'm surprised he doesn't have someone with you just for protection." Yukia had suddenly gotten very serious.

 _I hadn't really thought of it that way._ Kyoko found herself thinking. _Maybe I should talk to the president._

Yukia continued talking, interrupting her thoughts. "Well, at least when you're with me, my manager and I can keep you safe." He told her confidently.

Kyoko began to protest. "Oh, no really. I couldn't trouble you like that. And besides I'm pretty sure I'm still a nobody to most people when I'm out of costume."

Yukia shrugged. "Well, let me know if you ever need help." He told her as they exited the elevator. "After all, we're going to be friends right?"

Kyoko felt a smile break through on her face. "Of course!"

They sat in the lobby of TBM and waited for Yukia's manager.

"So why isn't your manager with you already?" Kyoko asked.

"Oh, well we just got in. We flew out of Britain last night after shooting all day. As soon as we landed he put me in a taxi to come here while he stayed behind to gather our things and check in at the hotel."

Kyoko nodded. _Wow, this guy is really dedicated. That means the only sleep he's gotten was on the plane last night._ She had a new respect for the boy in front of her.

"How old are you, Kyoko?" he asked, then paused, "Sorry, I mean Kyoko-chan."

She laughed. "I'm eighteen. How about you?"

"Seventeen," he responded proudly. "I'll be eighteen in the summer though."

Kyoko was surprised, _he's younger than me? Though not by much, but he seemed more mature._

The doors to the lobby opened and a man with short neatly cut black hair entered. He was wearing a suit, and carrying a satchel. He hurried over to the pair.

"Yukia, I'm sorry it took so long. I hope you weren't waiting for long." He said as soon as he reached them.

Yukia stood up, "Not at all. James, this is Kyoko. Kyoko-chan, this is my manager James."

James smiled at her and bowed. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Kyoko."

Yukia beckoned his manager closer, "Here they don't say it like that. They say Kyoko-chan."

"Oh, right."

Kyoko couldn't help but smile at their amusing exchange. From how it seemed James didn't have as strong of a grasp on the Japanese language as his charge did.

"If it's any easier," Kyoko said, "I understand English." She had figured James spoke English better than Japanese and if they'd be working together a lot, they might as well be able to converse.

Both James and Yukia looked relieved.

"Perfect, so if there's anything we don't understand she can interpret." Yukia said, speaking in English, as well.

He didn't know how he'd lucked out with having such a great co-star, but he did know that he was grateful to have chosen now to accept a role in Japan.

"So, how did everything go for your new drama?" Ren asked Kyoko as they talked on the phone that night.

Kyoko twirled her hair as she lay on her bed, with her cell phone pressed against her ear. "Overall it went well." She answered.

"What's with that vague answer?" he teased. "What does overall mean?"

Kyoko laughed. "Well, I was a few minutes late because the road I take was blocked and they moved the meeting to a different floor."

"But you're not all distraught like you were when you were late for your Box R reading." Ren said curiously. _Maybe this means she really is maturing as an actress._

"Yes, I thought I'd be more upset especially since the director didn't scold me at all. Actually, he said he was excited to work with me." She could feel her face heat up at the thought of all the praise she'd received so far that day.

Ren chuckled. "I'm glad things went well. What are the other actors like?" Truthfully, he only cared about what her co-star was like but he didn't want to say that aloud and seem suspicious.

"The other actors are great! They were really nice." She gushed. "Oh, and I met my co-star. It turns out this is his first job in Japan."

Ren's eyebrows raised in surprise. "So he's a foreigner?"

"Yeah, he's British-Japanese I believe. His name is Yukia Moore." She continued enthusiastically. "I met his manager too. They both were really nice. I think you'd like him, Ren."

"What makes you say that?" he asked with amusement.

"He seems to be very dedicated to his work. Just like you. He said he wrapped up filming yesterday in Britain, got on a plane for an overnight flight and then headed straight to the read-thru this morning."

Ren felt a slight pang of jealousy at the way she spoke about her co-star. _Calm down. She's saying this because he reminds her of you. That means there's nothing to be jealous of._

"That's really great, Kyoko. I'm glad you're getting along with everyone." He was sincere with his words as he pushed away the unfounded jealousy.

"Kyoko, I just remembered one more thing I had wanted to discuss with you."

Kyoko nodded to herself. "Yes?"

Ren swallowed, as he tried to get rid of his nerves. "I was thinking it might be easier to talk and spend time together, since we both have busy schedules, if maybe you moved in with me."

Kyoko sat in stunned silence. _Move in together? Well, I have considered it but wouldn't that change things._ She blushed furiously at her next thought. _Would that mean he'd be expecting-_

"Kyoko, this wouldn't change things. I wouldn't expect that just from you moving in with me. Although I'd hoped we could at least share a room." He chuckled but she could hear his nervousness.

"Can I think about it?" she finally asked.

"O-of course you can!" he cursed himself for letting his excitement come through. He cleared his throat before continuing. "I hadn't expected an answer tonight. I just wanted to give you something to consider."

Kyoko smiled. "You are always so understanding. We should really go to sleep now though."

Ren sighed as he glanced at the clock. If it were up to him he'd suggest they stay awake talking all night. But he knew they both needed rest. "All right, Good night, Sweetheart."

Kyoko blushed at the nickname. "Good night. I love you."

Ren laughed, "I love you too."

 _Well, at least she didn't say no. Which is way more than I expected._

Kyoko spent the next couple of weeks striving to perfect her character. She was currently in the LoveMe section going over her lines. Even though she wasn't an official member anymore, she found that it was still a comfortable place for her.

 _Well, Kimi is a rich young lady like Mio, but she's also a little like Natsu because she has such an easy life and thinks she's better than other people, but she's more complex because she has some good in her too._

The door opened and someone stepped inside but Kyoko was so entranced with her thoughts that she didn't hear them.

"Mo! Don't just stand in the middle of the room." Kanae Kotonami exclaimed.

Kyoko jumped. "Moko!" she yelled throwing her arms around her friend.

Kanae stepped back trying to avoid being suffocated. "Calm down. Otherwise, I'll leave."

Kyoko jumped back. "Sorry, I'm just so excited to see you. We haven't seen each other since we went to our first visit of the new year."

Kanae sighed. "What were you doing anyway?"

"Oh, I was working on my character for my drama." She explained. "It turns out its more difficult than I thought it would be."

"Why don't you ask your boyfriend?" Kanae asked as she collapsed gracefully onto the couch. "He normally is able to help you with these kind of things."

Kyoko sat down next to her friend. "I just don't want to keep bothering him. He's got a busy schedule."

In truth, Kyoko had thought about asking Ren. But every time they talked he seemed tired, and she didn't want to spend their time together working on her character.

"Well," Kanae began, "Is there anyone else who can help you?"

Kyoko lowered her head in depression. Then her head popped back up. "Well, there may be one person."

Kanae stood up from where she was sitting. "Well, you should talk to them. It doesn't hurt to at least ask." She gave a hopeful smile to the younger girl. "Don't give up. If you weren't a good actress they wouldn't have given you this."

Kanae turned and walked out of the room. To be honest, she had come down there specifically because she'd heard Kyoko was there. But she could never tell her that.

 _Hmm… I wonder who it was she was thinking of besides Ren?_

Kyoko opened her cell phone and stared at her contacts list. It was a number she had yet to call. _What if he doesn't answer? Or even worse doesn't remember me?!_ She closed her eyes in distress.

"No! Stop it. He said for you to contact him anytime." She scolded herself.

Quickly she clicked the call button, and it took all her willpower not to hang up before it was answered. She heard a click and a voice came on the line.

She smiled, "Hello, Father."

 **A/N: So there's chapter 4! I hope you all like it! This chapter is dedicated to all my faithful reviewers and readers! I'm so enjoying this exciting journey with you. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Fatherly Assistance

 **8:13 PM California, USA**

Kuu Hizuri was watching a movie with his wife as they cuddled on the couch. To be honest, it was one of his favorite parts of the day. She had been much happier since receiving the message from Kuon and that meant Kuu was happy.

Julie had already drifted off to sleep leaning against his side, when his phone began to ring. He gently laid her against the pillow on the couch before rising and stepping in the other room to answer his phone.

"This is Kuu," he answered.

"Hello, Father." A timid voice said.

His eyes went wide in shock. "Kyoko?" he asked, unable to keep the smile from his voice.

Kyoko sat silently smiling in the LoveMe section. _He answered, and he remembered me just from my voice!_ She did a silent cheer at being recognized by her adoptive father.

"Yes, father. I hope it's not too late for me to be calling."

Kuu laughed. "You could call at anytime and I would be happy to talk to you. You are my dear child after all."

Kyoko beamed and tears filled her eyes. She wiped them away. _Now is not the time to start crying._ She scolded herself.

"Thank you, father. I was calling because I need your help with something."

"And what might that be?"

Kyoko swallowed. "I got my first lead role in a drama." She waited for a moment, anxiously awaiting praise that she had grown to desire from her father.

"That's my girl!" Kuu exclaimed. Then he quickly quieted himself. "Oops, I forgot your mother is sleeping." He chuckled to himself. "I'm proud of you though. Your first starring role."

Kyoko blushed at his praise but couldn't suppress her smile. "But that's what I need your help with. I'm having trouble getting my role. And we begin filming next week."

Kuu nodded, thoughtfully. "Why don't you tell me about your role?"

Kyoko spent the next half hour discussing every aspect of her new character with Kuu. At the end, he sighed. "Well, it sounds like you've got a good grasp on the details. What normally helps you get into your characters?"

Kyoko thought back to each of her characters. With Mio it had been a haircut, for Natsu it had been the clothes and Princess Rosa, for young Kuon it had been the clothes she borrowed from the president…

"I guess, it normally has to do with me dressing as my character." She finally answered.

"And you don't have anything to make you feel like this character?" Kuu asked.

"No, not really. She's a spoiled heiress, and I don't really have money." She said with a forced laugh. "But that's okay. I'm sure I can figure something out. Thank you for helping me, Father."

It was then that Kuu remembered a recent conversation he had had with the President.

"Kyoko, the Boss mentioned something to me when I last talked to him."

"Hmm? What did he say?" she asked, curious to what the president could have had to say about her.

Kuu paused, "He said you have a boyfriend now."

Kyoko froze her face steadily turning red. "I-I, I mean, umm…" she stuttered trying to figure out what to say.

"So who is he? Boss said I'd have to ask you for that part."

Kyoko was feeling dizzy with embarrassment. "Umm… it's" she bit her lip, "It's Ren Tsuruga."

"What?!" Kuu jumped up and down in excitement. _What could be better than having her as an adoptive daughter? Having her marry my son! Good job, Kuon!_

"Father?" she asked when he didn't say anything else. She was nervous, maybe he didn't think she was good enough to date Ren.

"Well, you be careful. I've heard he's a bit of a playboy." He said finally.

Kyoko laughed. "Oh no. He really isn't that much."

Kuu could tell she was happy to have his fatherly attention. "You be sure to let me know if he tries anything immoral. I'll fly right over there to have a few words with him about respecting my daughter."

"No! You really don't have to worry. He's really very respectful. He would never do anything immoral." Her voice drifted off as she flashed back to all the times he had talked to her using Emperor of the Night.

"Kyoko?" Kuu wondered what she was thinking about.

"Yes?!"

Kuu laughed. "I'm glad to hear you are happy then. And I'll send you something to use for your role. It should help."

Kyoko nodded. "Yes, Sensei!"

He chuckled at her serious tone. "Now you be good. Call me if you need anymore help."

She felt herself smiling. "Of course, Father."

They hung up and Kyoko leaned back into the couch. Somehow she felt better about everything now that she had talked to her dad. She would never stop being grateful to the President for assigning her to help with Kuu. The president had helped give her a new family.

 _Family?_ She laughed and was surprised to find a stray tear sliding down her cheek. _I never thought I'd have that._

The next day Kyoko found herself in the President's office. He had called her that morning to invite her to come see him. She wasn't sure what it was about, but private meetings with the president always meant he was up to something.

She was seated on the couch when Lory walked in. She jumped to her feet and bowed. "Good morning, sir." She greeted him.

He smiled, "Please sit down. I won't take up too much of your time."

Kyoko sat down again and Lory handed her an envelope with her name scrawled across the front.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Why don't you open it and find out?" Lory prompted.

Kyoko slid her finger under the opening and looked at the paper inside. When she pulled out the paper a plastic card fell out. She picked it up.

"A credit card?" she looked at the President, a million questions written on her face.

"Kuu asked me to give it to you. He said it was important for your new role." Lory answered.

Kyoko stared at it incredulously. She quickly began to stuff it back into the envelope. "I can't afford a credit card. It would he irresponsible of me to use it."

"Maybe you should read the letter from him first." He picked up the paper she had forgotten about, and held it out to her.

She opened it.

 _Kyoko,_

 _Consider this a gift from your parents. I hope you'll use it to buy anything you need for your role or for yourself. Don't worry about the bill, I'll be taking care of it._

 _-Your father_

Kyoko folded back up the paper and placed it and the credit card back into the envelope. She held it out to the President. She looked down.

"I can't accept this . I've done nothing to deserve it." She said softly.

Lory felt his gaze soften as he watched her. _She may have opened her heart up to Ren but she's still fighting against Kuu._

"Is it so outrageous for a parent to want to help their child? A child shouldn't have to do anything to deserve their parents' care."

Kyoko looked at him. "You won't take it back?"

He shook his head.

Kyoko sighed but placed it into her bag. "Thank you, President." She said as she rose and bowed. "I'll be going now if that's all."

Lory patted her head. "Say hi to Ren for me." He told her cheerfully, breaking the seriousness.

Kyoko smiled as a blush touched her cheeks. She nodded before exiting the office. She still wasn't sure about using the credit card, but it made her happy to know her Father cared about her so much.

That afternoon, Yashiro had arranged for Kyoko to come to the station where Ren was shooting to have lunch together. The pair sat together in his dressing room so they could talk.

"How are you doing with preparing for your new role?" he asked. He had thought it was a safe subject since she had seemed so happy about the drama. But if the dark clouds around her were any indication, things were not going well.

"It's fine." She answered.

Ren tried not to laugh. _She's always so dramatic._ "What are you having trouble with? I thought you liked this character."

Kyoko sighed. "I do…but I can't act her properly because I don't feel like her."

"You should've come and talked to me sooner. I'm sure we can figure it out."

Kyoko shook her head. "No, I didn't want to bother you. I'm always asking you for help."

Ren reached out and touched her cheek gently. "I am here any time you need help."

Kyoko nodded as a blush crept up her cheeks.

"Now what else is bothering you? I can tell there's more." He told her.

Kyoko pulled out the envelope from her bag. "I called Father yesterday."

Ren was surprised. "Oh, Hizuri-san?"

She nodded. "I figured since he'd told me I could call him for advice that I'd give it a try. But then he sent me this." She handed the envelope to Ren.

He opened it and looked at the letter along with the card. _Dad really loves her._ He smiled at this thought. It was nice to know his dad already approved of the girl he was in love with.

Kyoko waited until Ren folded back up the letter before speaking. "So you see my dilemma."

Ren laughed. "I'm sorry, I don't see what the problem is." Truthfully he did. He knew she hated to spend other people's money.

Kyoko hung her head as she put away the envelope. "I feel bad if I use it because then he has to pay for anything I buy. But if I don't use it he might tell me 'I'm not your father anymore.' And I don't want that."

Ren smiled as he put an arm around his girlfriend. "Don't you think, that if you have a way to get into your role, and you don't use it, that you are not doing your very best as an actress?" he told her.

"I'm guess you're right." She said. And he could see the defeated look on her face.

"And besides," he continued, "Kuu Hizuri has enough money to easily pay for anything that you would buy."

Kyoko could feel herself caving. She had been excited already at the thought of having money to buy anything she needed.

"Do you think it'll make him happy if I use it?"

Ren nodded, and that was all the confirmation she needed.

When Kyoko left Ren's filming set, she immediately flagged down a taxi and headed for the nearest mall. Surely she'd be able to find what she needed there.

As she exited the taxi she tried to get into the spirit of Kimi. _I'm a beautiful heiress. I don't have a concept of money because I have no limit to what I can spend. People are there to help make me happy._

She strutted into the mall and began to search for a clothing store that looked expensive. She finally found one that she was sure under normal circumstances she wouldn't be able to afford to even set foot in.

She looked around at all of the different clothes. _Well, Kimi, what do you think we should get?_

 **A/N: So how did everyone like that? I love Kuu! He's one of my favorite characters and originally I hadn't planned for him to make an appearance yet but then he was like "Hey let me in your story!" Lol so I added him.**

 **Thanks for reading! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: New Roles and Rumors

It was Monday, the first day of filming for Kyoko's new drama, and Ren was a nervous wreck. Kyoko hadn't given him even a glimpse of her character although she said she had bought exactly what she needed for her to play Kimi. In fact, he was pretty sure Kyoko had been avoiding him since they last talked.

 _Maybe she's still really stressed about it but didn't want me to know._

Yashiro tapped Ren's shoulder as they sat at the stoplight. "Um, Ren, the light has turned green."

Ren looked up suddenly. "Oh." He stepped on the gas. _Stop being so worried. She's fine._

"Are you worried about Kyoko-chan?" his manager asked.

Ren nodded. "I thought I would at least get to see her to wish her good luck."

Yashiro looked thoughtful. "I'm sure she'll be fine. What's the name of her drama again?"

"Keishi, I believe." Ren answered. "I just hope everything goes smoothly for her."

Meanwhile, at TBM a girl was entering the studio. Her shoulder length light brown hair was curled at the ends and styled fashionably. She wore stylish sunglasses that matched her purse and her shoes. She was wearing a short light pink dress. It was sleeveless and had a scooped neckline. And on her wrist she wore the bracelet from Ren.

As Kyoko walked through the lobby of the station she received plenty of stares. Everybody was whispering, but she only caught a few snippets of what they were saying.

"Who is that?"

"Must be a really famous celebrity. Maybe a model."

Kyoko would've blushed at these comments, but she was not currently the one in control. It was Kimi, and Kimi loved hearing people talk about her that way. She fed off the attention of people fawning over her.

As she climbed into the elevator, two men asked at the same time what floor she needed. She smirked, ignoring them and reached forward to hit her button.

 _Sorry boys, you aren't even worth my time._

She exited the elevator at her floor and walked into the studio right as it hit 8AM. Kimi scanned the occupants of the room and approached the director.

"Good morning, director." She said, offering a small wave.

His jaw dropped when he saw her. She looked nothing like the girl from just a couple of weeks ago. "Mogami-san?"

She took off her sunglasses. "Actually, I'm Kimi."

 _Wow. I'd heard she really gets into her role but I never expected this._

"Well, Kimi-chan, you look great! We'll be getting started soon. Let's get you into wardrobe and make up." He quickly called over a crew member to show Kimi to her dressing room.

Once in her dressing room she sat and waited for her make up and hair artist to arrive. As she waited she felt Kimi slip away and she returned to Kyoko.

She blushed furiously thinking of the way she's been acting. "I didn't think I'd really be able to pull that off." She told herself as she examined her make up in the mirror. This time it wasn't cheap make up, or even the special products Moko had bought her the year before. This make up was the best that money could buy.

She touched her hair. She'd decided to spend money getting it dyed again and adding highlights to it. She'd even splurged and gotten her nails done, although she had regretted it afterwards when she realized that meant she'd have to get them done throughout the entire filming process.

 _Well, Father did say it was for anything I needed._

A few hours later, they were just wrapping up the morning shoot. They had shot scenes so far showing Kimi interacting with her parents and a few scenes of her at school with her friends.

"All right!" the director called out to them. "Let's take a break for lunch and meet back in an hour for the scenes where Kimi meets Leo."

As they stepped apart, Kyoko felt her Kimi spirit leave her. She was thrilled that so far the filming was going extraordinarily well. They'd had very few retakes and things were going smoothly.

As Kyoko got her box lunch and sat down to eat she checked her phone. She had a text from Yashiro.

 _Kyoko-chan, don't forget to call Ren when you get a break and let him know how it's going. He seems worried about you._

Kyoko smiled at the message. It felt good to know Ren was thinking of her. She decided to call him and see if she could at least leave him a message. So it surprised her, when he answered his phone on the second ring.

"Hello," he said.

"Hi, Tsuruga-san." Kyoko greeted him. She had taken to calling him formally when there were other people around who she wasn't close with.

"Mogami-san," he said, and she could hear the amusement in his voice. "To what do I owe the pleasure."

"I just wanted to call and give you an update on how things are going with filming." She told him. "Yashiro-san messaged me that you seemed worried about me."

There was a pause on Ren's end as he took a moment to glare at his manager.

"Well, how are things going then?" he prompted.

"So far everything is going really well. The director was really happy with my portrayal of Kimi-chan."

Ren smiled at the way she referred to her character. "I'm glad to hear everything is going well."

Just then a couple of the girls playing Kimi's friends sat down at the table with Kyoko.

"Oh my gosh, you are so lucky to have him as your co-star." One of the girls said.

Kyoko looked up and saw that Yukia had just arrived, his manager James with him.

Ren listened as he heard the other girls around Kyoko talking.

"He is so cute!"

"I wish I got to kiss him."

"You are so lucky, Kyoko-chan."

Kyoko laughed, trying to brush off the awkwardness of the situation. She stepped away from the table.

"Sorry about that. Those girls play Kimi-chan's friends. They were getting excited because Yukia-san arrived." Kyoko explained.

"I see." Ren replied.

They hung up a few moments later, and Ren tried to push the words in his head away as he stepped in front of the camera for the next set of pictures for his photo-shoot.

 _So he's young, good looking, and British._ Ren scowled inwardly as he posed for a picture. He refused to admit to himself that the feeling in his heart was jealousy.

"Cut!" the director called for the fifth time. "Let's take a five."

The other cast members began to disperse as the director approached Yukia and Kyoko.

They both looked at the ground. "I'm sorry." They said in unison.

The director sighed. "What's the trouble? You both seem stiff when talking with each other."

Kyoko blushed. "I'm sorry, director. I think I'm just having trouble figuring out how Kimi-chan would umm, flirt with Leo-kun."

Yukia scratched the back of his head. "It's my fault too I think. I've never played this kind of role and I think I'm just nervous."

The director nodded. "Well, we've gotten a lot of good scenes today so we'll take a break from your guys' scenes until Wednesday."

They agreed, but Kyoko felt terrible.

"In the mean time, why don't you two spend some time together outside of the studio. Get to know each other. Maybe it'll help you get more comfortable around each other when you're in character." The director walked away to talk to his assistant director, leaving Kyoko and Yukia standing in an awkward silence.

"I'm sorry."

They both laughed as they realized they had both tried to apologize simultaneously.

Yukia spoke first. "Honestly, I think I was intimidated by your acting. I knew you were good but I never expected your character to be so thorough."

Kyoko blushed. "I've never really had to play a romantic role, and I don't have a lot of experience with flirting." She admitted.

"Hey, do you want to go get some ice cream after this?" he asked suddenly. "I mean, because the director said for us to spend time getting to know each other."

Kyoko smiled at how awkward he sounded. "That sounds really fun."

Two hours later, around 4:30, the director said that filming was done for the day and the cast members began to leave.

Kyoko changed back into her outfit she had worn for the day and met Yukia and James in the lobby.

"Is there an ice cream place nearby?" Yukia asked, as they walked outside to the rental car James had.

Kyoko nodded. "There's one about ten minutes away from here."

They climbed into the car, Yukia allowing Kyoko to have the front seat so she could direct James.

"So how long have you been Yukia's manager?" she asked the man beside her.

James smiled, catching Yukia's eye in the rear view mirror. "Well, he was my first client. We've been working together for two years almost."

Kyoko nodded, taking in that information. She had figured James to be around Ren's age or a bit younger. _They seem to be close._ She thought as she listened to the two of them talk over the day's filming. _I hope I can be that close with my manager when I get one._

James pulled into the parking lot Kyoko had indicated. Kyoko and Yukia exited the car, but she noticed James didn't move.

"He's not coming with us?" she asked as Yukia began to walk towards the ice cream parlor.

He shook his head. "He probably figures we should have time alone to talk."

Kyoko nodded still looking concerned.

Yukia laughed. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to buy him something before we leave."

They quickly ordered their ice creams and sat down at a table outside. Kyoko took a bite of her dessert as she tried to think of what to say.

"How long have you been an actress?"

Kyoko looked up at her co-star. She swallowed. "I joined show business a year and a half ago. But I've only just become an actress last November."

"What do you mean?"

Kyoko explained to him about the LoveMe section at LME, without going into details about Sho, and how she had only recently graduated from it. He stared at her in amazement.

"Wow!" he said, "So your company president saw enough talent in you to make an entire section just for you?"

Kyoko blushed. "I don't know if it was that exactly." She paused. "And what about you?"

Yukia looked thoughtful. "I joined show business when I was twelve. I got my first role in a British television drama. It was just a supporting role, and I only got it because my mother was a producer, but after that I began receiving offers from agencies wanting to represent me. My mom managed me until I turned sixteen. That's when we decided it was time for me to have my own manager, and we found James."

Kyoko was impressed. She opened her mouth to continue the conversation when a flash went off nearby.

She blinked trying to regain her vision. "What was that?"

Yukia chuckled. "I'm pretty sure it was a paparazzi. We've been discovered." He waved in the direction of the flash and smiled. "Best way to handle them is to just accept it and take the pictures." He whispered to her.

Kyoko nodded, shyness filling the space where Kimi's confidence had been just hours ago. The photographer stepped forward. He smiled at them.

"Mind if I get closer and get some better photos?" he asked.

Yukia responded with his own perfect smile. "By all means."

Kyoko nodded in agreement.

The photographer looked like he'd hit the jackpot. He began to ask them what they were doing and Yukia explained that they were prepping for the drama.

After several minutes of pictures, James stepped forward from where he had apparently been standing since seeing their visitor.

"I believe that'll be enough for today." He said to the photographer. "After all, they have other engagements to attend to."

The paparazzi thanked them before leaving with his treasures. James led Kyoko and Yukia back to the car. They drove her back to Darumaya and Kyoko thanked them for the ride, before heading inside.

The next morning, Ren sat at his kitchen table drinking his coffee while he looked at popular news articles on his phone. He had been curious if anything had been printed yet about Kyoko's new drama and soon found himself searching her name.

He was surprised to see several articles that had been posted just that morning. He clicked on the first link and a picture filled his screen. The picture showed Kyoko sitting at an outdoor table eating ice cream and smiling at the handsome young man sitting next to her. But what caught Ren's eye more than the picture was the headline posted right under the picture.

" _Tsuruga Ren's girlfriend, Kyoko, having a secret date with her new co-star"_

 **A/N: My friend says I'm evil for ending it like that... hehe... I hope you all liked this chapter! Also just a note: Keishi is the name of her drama as I mentioned above. I picked that because it means "Heiress" so that's the name of her drama. I'm really excited and enjoying the way the story is going and I hope you all are too. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: An Unexpected Explanation

Ren stared dumbfounded at the caption on his cell phone screen. _Tsuruga Ren's girlfriend, Kyoko, having a secret date with her new co-star…_

He clicked back to the search screen and clicked on another recent article. The same picture popped up but it was accompanied by a very different caption.

 _Stars of the new upcoming drama, Keishi, preparing for their roles_

He clicked back again and checked a few more articles. They all sported the same few pictures, all showing Kyoko and her co-star eating ice cream and talking together. He found that aside from the first article (which of course had the most views) they all had similar captions, talking about Kyoko's new drama.

He sighed. _Calm down, Kuon. It's only one out of all of them that is twisting something innocent into something bad. Kyoko wouldn't do that to you._ He pushed away the hurt he was feeling and got up to finish getting ready for work.

All day Yashiro could sense that there was something wrong with Ren. Every time there wasn't anybody talking to him or a camera focused on him, his perfect façade began to crumble.

During one of their breaks, he decided to try to cheer up his friend. They were standing together off to the side of one of the sets. Ren took a drink from his water.

"How is Kyoko-chan's new drama going? They began filming yesterday right?" he asked. _Surely, thinking of her will distract him from any other issues he's having._

But he was very wrong. He watched as Ren's sparkly lying smile appeared on his face. "I wouldn't know. We didn't get the chance to talk again after our phone call that you requested yesterday when you decided to interfere in our personal relationship."

Yashiro visibly cringed at the pure venom in Ren's words. _Apparently I hit a land mine. Something must've happened with Kyoko-chan. Hopefully they'll make up quickly._

The manager was saved when the director called Ren over to talk to him. Yashiro watched as Ren walked away to talk to the director. Once the younger man was out of earshot, Yashiro quickly pulled out his phone and called Kyoko.

The bell rang signaling the end of Kyoko's third class of the day. As she began to pack up her notebook and pencil, her phone began to vibrate causing her to shake, startling her nearby classmates. She quickly dug it out of her pocket.

 _Yashiro-san…_

"Hello, Yashiro-san," she answered as she stepped out of her classroom. She began to walk down the hall so she could head out to the court yard.

"Hello, Kyoko-chan!" he greeted her cheerfully.

Kyoko sat down on a bench outside. "Is something wrong? Did you need something?" she asked with concern.

"No, no. Everything is fine. Well, I mean," he let his voice trail off.

Kyoko furrowed her brow, "Yashiro-san, is everything okay with Ren?"

Yashiro sighed, but Kyoko couldn't see the sneaky smile on his face. "I'm worried about him. He seems off today."

"Could he be sick again?" Kyoko asked, jumping to the wrong conclusion.

"No, I don't think that's it. I think he misses you."

Kyoko blushed. "I don't think him missing me would affect him to the point that you'd be able to tell, Yashiro-san. I think you over-estimate his attachment to me."

Yashiro knew he had flustered her with his response. "Well, it has been several days since you've seen each other, right?"

Kyoko closed her eyes as she thought. _We saw each other… almost a week ago?_ She opened her eyes. "Yashiro-san, what time will Ren be home today?"

For Ren it felt like the work day dragged on longer than any other day. He couldn't help the nagging feeling in the back of his mind as he wondered about Kyoko and her co-star. He was feeling a bit hungry but was too tired to worry about eating. _I'll just go inside and go to bed._ He told himself as he slid his keycard to unlock his apartment door.

So he was shocked when he stepped through the door and the delicious smell of someone's cooking wafted to him. He breathed it in deeply, knowing that there was only one person who would be at his apartment, cooking, at eleven o'clock at night. He stepped into the doorway of his kitchen and was greeted by a sight that made all of his worries and exhaustion dissipate.

"Kyoko."

She turned around at hearing his voice. "Welcome home, Ren." She said with a smile before turning back to the food she had cooking on the stove.

 _This has to be a dream, there is no way I am this lucky._ He told himself as he reached over and pinched his arm. _I didn't wake up so that must mean…_

He stepped up behind his girlfriend and wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her from behind. She stiffened slightly, before relaxing against him. He leaned down to her ear, "Dinner smells delicious." He watched as a blush spread across her face.

Ren kissed her on the cheek before stepping back to get himself a drink. He leaned against the counter, watching her as she served the food. "So, what brought you here tonight?" he asked, an amused smile playing on his lips.

"I was worried about you," she said pointedly as she handed him his bowl.

They walked over to the living room and sat down on the couch to eat.

"Worried?" he asked her.

She nodded, "Yashiro-san called me. He said you seemed off today." She looked down at her lap. "He said he thought that maybe you missed me."

Ren stared at her in silence. _Had I been that obvious?_ He sighed, and Kyoko looked up just in time to be pulled into a hug.

"R-ren? Are you okay?" she asked.

He nodded. "He was right, I did miss you."

They released each other from the hug and went back to eating their dinner. Kyoko was feeling more shy than before, so she decided to try to start a conversation.

"So, we resume filming tomorrow for my drama." She told him.

He nodded. "And how do you feel about that?"

Kyoko smiled, "Really good. I'm enjoying it a lot, and everyone else is great."

"And what about your co-star?" Ren asked.

Kyoko glanced at Ren. "He's really great too. And really nice to me even though I kept messing up our scenes together. Although, he and the director said we were both having trouble."

"I thought the filming was going really well."

Kyoko nodded. "It was but then after lunch we tried to film the first interactions between Kimi-chan and Leo-kun and we had trouble performing. The director thought we were just nervous around each other, so he told us to go out after work and get to know each other. We wound up going for ice cream and we got to talk for a bit. I think I'm feeling better about it now." She paused waiting for Ren to say something.

 _So that explains the "secret date" that article was talking about._ He felt guilt wash over him. _How could I have ever doubted her?_

Kyoko took Ren's silence to mean that he was disappointed in her mess ups on her drama and opened her mouth to respond.

"But don't worry, Ren. I won't let it happen again. I'll do well with the acting tomorrow and I won't delay the drama anymore than I have. I won't disappoint you as your kohai or as your girlfriend."

Ren smiled at her before suddenly kissing her on the lips. To be honest, he had only heard half of what she had said. But he was busy feeling relieved that he didn't have to worry about losing her.

After they finished eating, they both went to the kitchen to do the dishes. As they put away the clean dishes, Kyoko remembered something.

"I had something I wanted to ask you."

Ren glanced at her. "Yes?"

She smiled at him. "What do you want for your birthday? It's less than a week away."

Ren stared at her for a moment. _I had completely forgotten that was coming._ He looked thoughtful as he tried to find an answer to Kyoko's question.

Then an idea hit him. He smirked in a way that worried Kyoko. "I want to wake up to a birthday kiss from you."

He watched as her face turned red. She shook her head. "Are you sure there's nothing else you want?"

Ren laughed. "You asked what I wanted and I told you. Surely, you can manage to stay here for one night and wake me up in the morning with a kiss." He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "Just think of it as practice for when you live here."

Kyoko's eyes went wide. She had forgotten that he had asked her to think about that. She nodded. "All right then. I guess I can agree to it since it's for your birthday."

Ren grinned mischievously, thrilled that he had gotten her to agree.

As Ren drove Kyoko home that night, he began to think about the fact that this would be their first Valentines day as a couple. It had been a long time for him since he'd had a girlfriend during Valentines.

"What do you think we should do for valentine's day?" he asked her.

Kyoko froze next to him. She clenched her fists. _Fight it, Kyoko. Don't let out the grudges._ She struggled to push away all the memories flying into her mind. Dozens of Valentines chocolates gifted to Sho only to receive nothing in return. Not even a thank you. And then last year, being forced to give the Beagle chocolates. And then Sho had attempted to kiss her.

And then the kiss Ren had given her… Her hand flew to her cheek. She had felt the warm sensation there again.

Ren looked over at his girlfriend who had sat unmoving for several moments. He wondered what she was thinking about until he saw her hand touch her cheek.

 _She's remembering the kiss I gave her last year?_ He wondered. He parked near Darumaya and watched her.

"Kyoko?"

She jumped, startled by his words invading her thoughts. "Sorry! What were you saying?"

"I had asked what you wanted to do for Valentines day."

A dark look came over Kyoko's face. "I don't think we need to worry about Vain day." She responded. Her face lightened, "Besides, I'm sure you'll still get plenty of chocolates from your fans. So you really don't have any need for anything from me, right?"

Ren's mind was whirling. He nodded his head, "Yeah, I suppose you're right."

Kyoko smiled at him. "Well, I should go inside then. Have a good night, Ren." She kissed him on the lips before climbing out of the car and going into Darumaya.

Leaving Ren to sit stunned inside of his car, vaguely wondering how he had managed to let her talk him out of receiving chocolates from his girlfriend.

The next day Kyoko resumed filming her drama. This time neither her nor Yukia felt awkward as they acted their scenes. When they were on a break, Yukia found himself talking with Kyoko.

"You did really well in that last scene, Kyoko-chan." He told her.

Kyoko smiled. "You were really great too. I don't know how our characters are ever supposed to fall in love though. Kimi-chan really is a brat. And she tends to have an attitude with Leo-kun a lot. Surely in real life, he would never fall for her."

Yukia laughed. "Well, I don't know about that. She does have some good points."

Kyoko shook her head. "She becomes a better person because of what Leo-kun teaches her. I don't know why he puts up with her."

"I'm sure the fact that he finds her attractive helps." He said, shrugging.

Kyoko nodded. "You're probably right."

Yukia looked at Kyoko, tilting his head to the side. "So, do you and your boyfriend have anything planned for Valentine's?" he asked.

The dark wave washed over her face again. "No. We don't celebrate it." She told him.

A confused look crossed his face. "I thought all couples celebrated valentine's. You're telling me he doesn't want any chocolates from you?"

Kyoko shook her head. "I mean, I guess he never said that. But he gets a ton of valentine's gifts from his fans. He doesn't need any from me."

A look of compassion crossed Yukia's face, but Kyoko wasn't looking. "Well, I'm pretty sure that everybody would want to receive chocolates from someone they love. There's something different about receiving them when there's mutual affection."

Kyoko looked up. "Do you really think so?"

Yukia nodded. "I know it always makes me happy when someone I love gives me gifts."

James stepped over to them. "Yukia, they need you to change into your costume for the next scene."

"Thanks, James. Sorry, Kyoko-chan. I have to go. But I hope things work out for you for valentines."

Kyoko watched as her co-star walked away. She wondered if he had someone. _Please, he's good-looking, charming, funny, of course he has someone._ She sighed. "Maybe he's right."

 **A/N: So there you have chapter 7! I know that you all were anticipating a Ren blow up but not yet... it's coming though I promise. And you got fluffiness instead. Lol. I'll be writing ch 8 tonight and tomorrow and I'll post it tomorrow. :) thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Chocolates & Kisses

After work, Kyoko went to the mall nearby to look for a present to get Ren for his birthday. She wandered around aimlessly as she considered what to buy for him. She had looked through a clothing store but quickly realized that the clothes that were like what he typically wore were far out of her price range.

Eventually, after walking around for over an hour without any luck she somehow wound up in a jewelry store. She stepped in, successfully ignoring the red balloons and hearts that were on everything. A woman stepped forward to offer assistance.

"Can I help you find anything, Miss?"

Kyoko looked at her. "Um, we'll I'm not really sure what I'm looking for." She answered honestly.

The woman nodded. "Is this for a gift perhaps?"

Kyoko looked surprised that the woman could guess that, then realized it probably wasn't too hard to guess given the upcoming holiday. "My boyfriend's birthday is coming up and I'm not sure what to get him."

The employee looked thoughtful. "Wait here. I think I might have something."

Kyoko watched as the woman stepped away and through a door. She came back a few moments later carrying a small flat box. She waved Kyoko over to approach the glass counter top.

She opened the box and showed Kyoko the contents. Inside the box was a chain and on the chain rested a silver oval pendant.

"It's a locket. But it's not as feminine so it's been something popular for men. You could put a picture of you in it and we can engrave something on the inside if you want." The woman explained.

Kyoko nodded and picked it up to examine it. It seemed to be of good quality. She checked the price tag on it and was pleased to see it was within her budget. "I'll take it."

"Did you want us to engrave anything on it?"

The young actress bit her lip as she thought about it. Finally, she nodded and the employee handed her a piece of paper to write down what she wanted engraved.

"Perfect, it'll be ready for you to pick it up tomorrow." She told Kyoko after the actress had made her purchase.

Kyoko left the store with a spring in her step. She felt confident that Ren would love his gift. At least, she felt that way until she got home. Once lying in bed that night she was a bundle of nerves.

 _What if he thinks it's silly? I knew I should've told them not to engrave it._ She blushed as she thought of the message that would soon reside with the locket.

She sighed. _Well, it's too late to worry about it now._

 **February 9** **th**

Kyoko stood waiting outside of TBM that evening waiting for her ride. Ren had said he would come to pick her up since she would be staying the night at his apartment. She glanced at her backpack that she had filled with necessities for the night: pajamas, toothbrush, her phone charger, and among other things… a small carefully wrapped present.

"Good evening, Kyoko," Ren said, startling her.

She jumped at the sudden voice. "Oh, Ren. It's you."

He laughed, "What? Were you expecting someone else?"

She looked uncertain. "Well, last year I had a lot of unexpected visitors… Although I guess idiot number two wouldn't dare come near me now that we are dating."

Ren looked proud that he had managed to rid her of the two idiots in her life. He picked up her backpack and grabbed her hand. "Well, let's get going."

Kyoko couldn't help smiling as Ren led her to his car. She just hoped he'd be happy with the present she had gotten him.

When they arrived at Ren's apartment, he insisted on ordering take out for them for dinner. As they ate, they talked about their work days, and filming schedules that were coming up. Finally, dinner was over and Kyoko decided it was time to give Ren his present.

"Wait here," she told him. He sat on the couch obediently and watched as Kyoko hurried down the hall to his bedroom.

She dug through her backpack, and pulled out the small gift, before returning to the living room. She held it behind her back until she stood right in front of her boyfriend. She held it out to him.

"Happy birthday," Kyoko said softly.

Ren smiled. He took the present from her hands and Kyoko sat down next to him on the couch.

"So am I allowed to open it?" he teased. "I mean, last year I wasn't allowed to open it right away."

Kyoko blushed remembering the somewhat embarrassing gift she'd given the year before. She hoped this wouldn't be as embarrassing. "Yes. You can open it."

Ren carefully tore through the paper, then opened the small box. Inside lay a silver oval locket. He took it out carefully. "This is very nice," he told her, his heavenly smile appearing on his lips, "Thank you very much."

He leaned forward and gave Kyoko a quick kiss on her lips. As he pulled back his gaze returned to the locket. He clicked the latch on the side to open it.

Kyoko felt her face grow warm. "I-I didn't put a picture in because I didn't know what picture you'd want.." she struggled to explain. But to her surprise she watched as Ren began to blush.

Ren read the engraving inside of the locket and felt his face grow warm.

 _To my prince,_

 _Happy Birthday_

 _Love, Kyoko_

Kyoko frowned when he stayed quiet. She held out a hand, and as she spoke she tried to keep her voice steady. "I can have them remove it if you don't like it."

He looked up at her seriously. "Don't you dare. I love it." He smirked at her before putting it on. He pulled out his phone. "Now smile."

Kyoko looked confused. "Why?"

He laughed. "I need a picture for the locket and I want it to be one where you're smiling."

Kyoko blushed, but after a moment she smiled. Ren snapped the picture.

"Perfect."

A little while later, after they had each bathed they climbed into Ren's bed. Kyoko laid as far to one side as she could without falling off the bed. She turned facing away from Ren. "Good night." She said quickly before closing her eyes.

Ren chuckled to himself. "So, no good night kiss?"

There was no answer.

Ren scooted across the bed and wrapped his arms tightly around his girlfriend. He heard Kyoko cry out in surprise.

"If you're here, I want to hold you." He whispered into her ear. "You're very busy now, and I don't get to monopolize your time."

Kyoko nodded, "Okay then."

He kissed her ear lightly, "Good night, princess." He watched in delight as her face turned red.

The next morning, Kyoko woke up extra early. She sneaked out of bed being sure not to disturb Ren, and made sure to turn off his alarm before heading to the kitchen. She immediately got to work cooking a special breakfast for Ren.

An hour later, she had finished cooking and put the food on a tray. She carried it into his room and set it on a table. Then Kyoko climbed back onto the bed, kneeling next to Ren.

She stared at his relaxed sleeping face. _He really is too beautiful._ She thought to herself.

Kyoko took a breath, and then leaned down and kissed him on the lips. She pulled back after a moment and saw his eyes start to open. "Good morning! Happy birthday, Ren."

A grin broke out across his face. He reached up and pulled her back down, crashing her lips onto his own. He released her several minutes later. "Good morning, love." He said, smirking at her. The emperor of the night visible in his eyes.

Kyoko shot him a glare. "Playboy."

Ren burst into laughter at the name. This had to be the best birthday he'd ever had.

The next few days passed quickly for Kyoko. Filming was going smoothly and they had managed to get through filming the first several episodes. Finally, it was Valentine's day.

The night before had been spent preparing various types of chocolates. After hours of preparation and tastings she decided on which pieces to give him and put them into a dark red box tied with a black ribbon.

She had called Yashiro and made sure of where Ren would be on the fourteenth so that she could meet up with him to give him his chocolates. And as it turned out he was filming a commercial at the same studio as her.

So Valentines day, she found herself outside of Ren's dressing room door when she first arrived at TBM that morning. She knocked, nervous about how Ren would react to the chocolates. A moment later, the door opened to reveal Ren. He looked surprised.

"Kyoko?" he smiled at her, "I didn't expect to see you this morning."

Kyoko looked down at the ground. "Good morning, Ren." She looked back up and met his eyes, before looking away quickly. She thrust out the box in front her. "Happy Valentine's day, Ren. Will you please accept these chocolates from me?"

Ren stared at her in surprise, but inside his heart was leaping nearly out of his chest from pure happiness. He watched Kyoko who was still looking away from him. Her face growing steadily redder with each passing moment. Finally he took pity on her and took the box from her hand. He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Of course I'd accept chocolates from you." He told her. Kyoko turned her head to look at him and found herself staring into his deep brown eyes. She blushed deeper, then took a step back.

"Well, I have to hurry to the set. Filming starts soon and I have to get my make up done. I'll see you later!"

He watched as she turned and practically ran down the hallway. Behind him he heard a laugh and realized that Yashiro had just been witness to the exchange.

"Seems like she couldn't get away from you fast enough." He teased. Inside he was squealing in delight that Kyoko-chan had decided to give Ren chocolates. Mostly because he was unsure how much more of Ren's moping he could take.

Ren sat down on his couch with his present. The room around him was already filled with Valentines gifts that he would never even open, but the one in his hands was different. He untied the ribbon and opened the box. He carefully picked out a chocolate that had been decorated with a red heart on top and popped it into his mouth.

 _I swear, chocolate has never tasted this good before._

Meanwhile, on the set of Keishi, Kyoko was in for her own surprise.

"I have an announcement about today's filming!" the director announced happily. "Since I'm sure you are all already in a romantic lovey-dovey kind of mood thanks to Valentines, I thought I'd pick today for us to shoot the scene with our first kiss between Kimi-chan and Leo-kun."

Kyoko stared at the director in complete shock. She raised her hand. The director saw it and nodded.

"Yes, Kyoko-san?"

"Um, I thought we weren't going to film the first kiss until next week." She stammered.

The director motioned her off to the side as the rest of the cast members moved away chatting happily. "Is there an issue with doing the kiss scene today?" he asked. Kyoko could see the concern in his face and her confidence in her argument wavered.

"No, director. It's fine."

The director smiled and clapped her on the shoulder. "Great then let's get you into costume."

Thirty minutes later, they were on set. Kimi stood opposite Leo. They were standing in front of the food court restaurant she worked at. Kimi was drenched in soda that had splattered her when she had tried to change the filters on the soda machine. Leo smiled as Kimi tried to dry herself off with a towel.

"I must look ridiculous." She whined.

Leo reached up and took the towel from her hands, he gently draped the towel over her hair and helped to pat it dry. He looked into her eyes, "No, you look like a normal person." He told her.

She gave a half-hearted laugh. "Is that supposed to be a good thing?"

He smiled at her. "You have a cute laugh. You should use it more often."

She blushed at his compliment.

Leo leaned in to kiss her and-

Kyoko stepped back, moving away from Yukia just in time to avoid his lips. Yukia stumbled, but managed to barely keep his balance.

"Cut!"

Yukia looked at Kyoko with a confused look on his face. "What's wrong, Kyoko-chan?"

Kyoko's face turned red when she realized what she had done. She turned to the director. "May I please have a few minutes?"

"Yes, Kyoko-chan." He answered.

Kyoko hurried off the set and into her dressing room. She locked the door behind her, and began to pace. "What are you doing, Kyoko?" she asked, scolding herself. "You're ruining everything just because your self-conscious?" she sighed. _Ren would be so disappointed in me._

There was a knock on her door. "Kyoko-chan, can I come in?" it was Yukia. She stepped over and opened the door.

"I'm sorry, Yukia-kun. I didn't mean to mess up the scene." She started to apologize, but he cut her off as he entered the dressing room.

"Don't worry. You didn't mess up anything." He responded. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

She nodded. "I am. I just- I guess I got nervous. It felt weird to kiss somebody in this way." She sat down on the couch in the corner of her dressing room.

Yukia stepped closer and sat down beside her. "Are you feeling bad about the kiss because you're dating Tsuruga-san?" he asked.

Kyoko looked down, unsure of how to answer.

Yukia continued, "If it helps any, I'm not interested in you in that way." He told her. "Actually, I have somebody too."

Kyoko's head snapped up. "You do?" she sighed again, shaking her head. "I'm not sure that'll make me feel better. I just can't get past this feeling of that I'm doing something wrong. I mean, I'm sure Ren is too much of a professional to get jealous over a fictional relationship but still."

She looked at her co-star. "Is your girlfriend an actress? Does it bother her when you have kissing scenes?"

Yukia couldn't help laughing at all of Kyoko's questions. "I don't think it bothers him at all." He answered. "He kind of already knows I'm not interested in any girls."

He paused, watching Kyoko's face for understanding. She stared at him blankly.

"You're not interested in girls?" she asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.

He chuckled as he realized she still didn't understand.

"Kyoko-chan, I'm gay."

 **A/N: And there it is! Please let me know what you all thought of this chapter! It was very fun to write. Happy Valentine's day! And thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Truths and Lies

"You're gay?" Kyoko asked in surprise.

Yukia nodded, looking a little nervous. "But I have to ask you not to tell anyone. I'm not quite ready for it to be public knowledge yet."

Kyoko nodded her head in agreement. "Of course! I'll guard your secret with my life!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands together over her heart.

Yukia laughed. "Well, I don't know if you have to be that passionate about it."

Kyoko smiled at her newfound friend. "So, you said you have a boyfriend. Is he the only one who knows? What about your manager, does he know?"

Yukia's face flushed. "Well, um, James is my boyfriend."

Kyoko's mouth opened in surprise. "You're dating your manager?"

"Yes, we've been dating for nearly a year. That is also a secret." He answered.

Kyoko reached over and took his hand in hers. "Well, you don't have to worry. I'll keep your secrets."

Yukia squeezed her hand. "And you don't have to worry about the kiss. There's no need to feel guilty for kissing someone who isn't even attracted to girls."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Yukia stood up, pulling Kyoko with him. "Then shall we go shoot that scene?"

Kyoko nodded, and followed her co-star out to the set. There was something special about having been allowed to know his secrets. It made her happy to be so trusted.

Kimi was back on set now, once again drenched in soda. They were in the middle of their scene.

Leo smiled at her. "You have a cute laugh. You should use it more often."

She blushed at his compliment.

He leaned in to kiss her, gently taking her hands in his own as he did so.

Kimi was surprised but happily obliged him with the gentle kiss.

They pulled apart and looked at each other shyly for a moment.

Leo looked at the ground, still keeping a grip on one of her hands. "I thought you were just some stuck up spoiled rich kid who didn't care about anybody else. But maybe I was wrong."

Kimi smiled at the boy in front of her.

"Cut! That was great!" the director called over.

Kyoko smiled at Yukia. "We did it."

He nodded, laughing, "Yes, we did."

After Ren got done with work for the day, he checked the time on his phone. 8:30 _Maybe she hasn't eaten dinner yet. I'll call her._

He paced around in the enclosed outdoor pathways of LME. He waited as he listened to the phone ring several times. It went to voice-mail and he hung up. _I don't really want to leave a message. There'd be no point._

He stared at his phone trying to decide what to do, when it began to ring. He answered it quickly.

"Kyoko?"

He heard her laugh on the other end of the phone. "Hi, Ren. I'm sorry I missed your call. I had my phone on silent."

"Oh, that's all right. How did your filming go today?" he asked.

"It went really well. There were a few bumps today but in the end we were able to shoot a lot." She paused, and Ren could hear her talking to someone. "Sorry about that. We decided to do extra rehearsing after work because the director gave us some changes that have been made to the next few scripts."

Ren nodded. "Well, I should let you get back to rehearsing. I just wanted to make sure your day had gone well."

Kyoko smiled, his concern for her made her happy. "Thank you, Ren. Do you think I could come over tomorrow night to make you dinner?"

"Of course, you are welcome to do that anytime. And Kyoko, thank you for the chocolates."

As Kyoko hung up her phone, James handed her a cup of tea. She thanked him. Currently, she, Yukia, and James were back at his hotel room so they could rehearse some of the new scenes.

"That was Tsuruga-san, right?" Yukia asked, as he took a sip from his own tea.

Kyoko nodded, "He called to see how my day went." She blushed slightly, "And to thank me for the chocolates I gave him."

Yukia beamed. "So I was able to convince you that he would want some?"

"Yes, and thank you for doing so. It's my first valentine's day with someone who cares about me, and I only have bad memories of the day in the past so I didn't want to celebrate. I had forgotten to think of how he'd feel." She smiled at her co-star, "So, thank you."

The next morning, Ren woke up feeling elated. He had gotten chocolates from the woman he loved and tonight she'd be coming over to make them dinner. He picked up Yashiro for work and they headed to LME.

As they walked into the agency, Yashiro gave Ren a rundown of his schedule for the day.

"We have a meeting this morning, then a photo shoot this afternoon. You should be finished with work by seven." He said to the younger man.

Ren nodded, he was listening but he was also noticing something. Ever since they had entered the building people had been watching him with more interest than usual.

"Yashiro, do people seem to be staring at me?" he asked his manager as they stepped up to the elevator.

Yashiro laughed, "Ren, they always stare."

He shook his head, "No, this is different." The elevator opened and some women stepped off they looked up and saw Ren. Normally, their reactions would be smiles, and swooning, but today…

They smiled at him sadly, then stepped past him silently. He caught parts of their whispered conversation as they walked away.

"So sad."

"She definitely doesn't deserve him."

Ren climbed into the elevator with Yashiro. He pulled out his phone, and quickly did a search using Kyoko's name.

He was greeted by an article that appeared to be popular.

 _Kyoko, Tsuruga Ren's girlfriend, is seen leaving Co-star's hotel late on Valentine's_

Ren stared at the headline. He felt as if his heart had stopped beating. Yashiro leaned over to see what had shocked Ren to this extent.

"Oh no," he whispered. He leaned over and pressed the button for the floor that the President's office was on.

"I'll go to the meeting and stall for you. You go talk to the president."

Ren wasn't really listening to a word Yashiro said. He was too busy trying to force Dark Kuon back. Because at this moment, the only thing he wanted to do was kill her co-star.

Meanwhile, Kyoko was receiving some very different looks herself. To start with, people were staring, which pretty much never happened, unless she was with Ren. She had already been on the receiving end of several glares, and a few longing gazes from some men, by the time she reached the drama set.

She was surprised when some of the crew members treated her coldly, upon her arrival. _Everybody was so friendly yesterday… I wonder what happened._

She went to get her make up done and found that her make up girl was only talking to her as much as necessary.

Kyoko was grateful when she was finally able to go back out to the set. At least she knew Yukia would tell her what was going on. She spotted him standing to the side talking with James. She began to make her way over to him. He looked up and made eye contact. But just as he started to wave to her one of the newer actresses stepped in front of Kyoko.

"Slut!" she yelled. She raised her hand and slapped Kyoko across the face.

Kyoko put her hand to her face, staring at the newcomer in shock. She opened her mouth to respond, but suddenly Yukia was in front of her. He grabbed the girl's offending hand.

"How dare you slap her. Get off the set." He said coolly.

The girl glared at Yukia before marching away. Yukia followed her, ensuring that the director heard about what had just happened. Kyoko stood frozen in shock. She didn't even know that girl's name. She felt a strong hand on her arm. She looked up to see James standing next to her, a serious look on his face.

James led Kyoko to an area where a few chairs were set up. He helped her sit down and got her a water bottle.

"As soon as Yukia comes back I'll go and get you some ice." He told her.

She nodded, dazedly. "What happened? Why did she slap me?"

James sighed. "I think it may have something to do with this." He opened his phone and a moment later held it out to her.

She looked at the phone. Confusion flooded through her as she saw a picture of herself leaving Yukia's hotel. She read the caption and her confusion was replaced with a sick feeling. Before she could say anything else, Yukia returned.

"Kyoko-chan, the director made sure that girl was removed from the set. She's not allowed back into TBM studios. Are you okay?" he looked at the spot on her face that was now red.

She nodded. "Just shaken up. I don't feel too well though."

Yukia turned to his manager, "Can you go get her some ice?"

"Of course," he responded before turning and leaving the set.

Yukia sat down next to Kyoko. He hung his head, "I'm sorry."

Kyoko looked at him. "Why are you saying you're sorry?"

He looked up, meeting her eyes. "I promised you that James and I would take care of you since you didn't have a manager, and I let that happen. And even worse it's my fault."

"It's not your fault, Yukia-kun. You have no control over what other people decide to do."

"That may be, but it's my fault that that stupid rumor is out there." She could hear the bitterness in his voice. "I honestly didn't think anything of you coming to my hotel to rehearse. But I guess I should have."

Kyoko grabbed his hand. "Please don't feel badly because of this. It's not your fault. I'm sure everything will be all right." She gave him a small smile.

A few minutes later, James returned with ice for Kyoko's cheek. She pressed the bag against the swollen side of her face.

 _I'm glad I have them to help me. I don't know what I would've done otherwise._

That night Kyoko took a taxi to Ren's apartment. She was nervous because she wasn't sure if he had already heard the rumors that were circulating. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell.

She heard movement on the other side of the door, then the sound of the lock turning. As the door opened she was nearly blinded by Ren's sparkly angry smile.

"Please, come in Kyoko." He told her as he stepped out of the way.

Kyoko took a few steps into the apartment. _I know I should say something about it but I think I'd rather just avoid it until he brings it up._

She looked at him and smiled, feigning ignorance. "Do you know what you'd like to have for dinner, Ren?" she asked as she stepped into the kitchen.

Ren's fake smile faltered for a moment. _Did she not realize I was angry? Or has she not heard about it yet?_ _ **Or maybe she just doesn't care. Maybe she thinks you don't know and that she's succeeded in keeping it a secret.**_ The second voice had been from Kuon. He struggled to bury it. If Kuon was involved this would only get worse.

"Anything you make is fine." He told her, reverting back to his gentleman's attitude.

"So, how did your late night rehearsals go yesterday?" he asked. He knew he was skirting on the edge of the fire burning within him, but he couldn't help himself.

Kyoko shrugged. "It went pretty well." _Quick, this is your chance to diffuse the situation. Just explain everything now._ Kyoko opened her mouth to begin her apology, but Ren continued talking.

"Your co-star must really be something if you're spending all this time with him." _What am I doing? That sounds like I'm accusing her of-_

"Yeah, he's a pretty great guy." Kyoko said. _Stop! Don't say that. He'll get the wrong idea._

Ren stared at Kyoko's back. "Well, he can't be that great given that he doesn't care about a young woman's reputation."

Kyoko spun around, shocked at her boyfriend's words. "It's not his fault. Don't accuse him of something that happened because of me."

Ren raised his eyebrows in surprise. "So you do know about what the media is saying? Does that mean you were just hoping I didn't know?"

Kyoko's face turned red. She looked down at the ground, her fists clenched at her sides. "We were just rehearsing. It didn't even get that late. I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to cause you trouble."

Ren sighed, "You really should consider the affects of your actions." _Stop scolding her! She's already apologized. You know that nothing happened._

Kyoko felt her eyes tear up. "I know. And I am sorry for not thinking about how it would affect you. I understand if you want me to leave."

Ren could hear that her voice was trembling. _Now I've done it. I made her cry._ He walked to her quickly and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly.

"I'm sorry, Kyoko. I'm not really angry with you. I was angry that the media is reporting so many lies." _And angry that your co-star let this happen._

Kyoko shook her head, and he could feel the wetness from her tears on his shirt. "I messed up. You should be angry with me." She sobbed.

Ren pulled away enough to tilt her head up so she was looking at him. "I love you, Kyoko. Please stop crying. I just want you to promise me you'll be more careful."

She nodded, wiping her eyes with her hands. "It's still all right for me to be friends with him, right?"

As much as Ren wanted to tell her no, he couldn't justify it. It had all been a giant misunderstanding. He couldn't demand that she just cut off a friend she had made in show business. Especially since friends were so important.

He kissed her on the forehead, "I would never say you can't be friends with someone. Just be careful."

Kyoko smiled, "I will be. You can trust me, Ren."

He leaned his forehead against hers. "I know I can." He leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

Behind them Kyoko heard a splash followed by a sizzling sound. She jerked away. "The food!"

Ren couldn't help but laugh as he watched her zoom around the kitchen trying to save their dinner.

 **A/N: I got so excited that I had to keep writing. I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Jealous Tendencies

The next day, Ren went to the President's office to discuss what had been done and still needed to be done to try and undo the damage done by the Valentine's article about Kyoko. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Lory Takarada appeared to be in good spirits.

 _No doubt he's just happy that my life is finally interesting._

Lory glanced at Ren's unamused expression. "Don't look so grim, Ren. I've helped people survive worse scandals than this." The older man said.

Ren forced a smile. "All right then, what's the plan?"

"Well," Lory began, leaning back to relax in his armchair. "I've already contacted several of the news sources that published the article and convinced them to adjust it to the truth."

Ren couldn't help but snort in response to Lory's declaration. "And how did you convince them to do that?"

Lory felt challenged by Ren's disbelief. "By promising them exclusive interviews with Japan's number one actor."

The younger man grimaced at the thought. It had been one thing when interviews focused solely on his work, but lately they had all been taking a turn towards his personal life. _Well, she's my girlfriend and I will do what I have to in order to help her._

"And since the best thing to do is to respond to it right away… I've booked you an interview spot on an evening talk show."

Ren opened his mouth to argue, but Lory continued talking. "Don't worry, I've already made arrangements to have it worked into your schedule. You'll be on doing a live interview at eight tonight."

There was no arguing with the president once he had his mind set on something, so Ren didn't bother. Instead, he stood from the couch he was seated on and bowed to the President. "Thank you for your help in fixing this."

"Of course, I'd do anything for my favorite actress." Lory responded. He watched as the young man exited his office and wondered how the rest of the day would go. He could tell Ren was struggling with the rumors, but to be fair, he'd never had to deal with anything like this before.

"Please be careful Kyoko-chan. I'm not sure how much more of this Ren can handle."

As Ren settled into his chair on the set of the evening talk show he found himself desperately wanting this to be over. The show had introduced him before going to commercial and the host of the show- a man in his late thirties with dark hair and a charming smile- was having someone touch up his make up. _This will all be over soon._ He told himself, being sure to keep a gentlemanly smile present on his face.

"And we're back on What's Up Entertainment with Japan's top actor-Ren Tsuruga!" the host announced gesturing to his guest.

Ren smiled at the audience and waved. "Thank you for having me, Waba-san." He said, turning to look at the host.

Waba nodded to Ren. "So you've been in the middle of some exciting things lately. After you finished Dark Moon last year you took on another drama special that'll be airing in May, right?"

Ren nodded, "Yes, it's called Summer Sunset."

Waba looked out at the audience. "Well, I'm sure all your fans will be watching. Do you have any other movies or dramas coming up?"

"I've been offered a few but I try not to take on too many so as to overwhelm myself. I've been focusing on my modeling in between filming." Ren forced himself to get through the pleasantries of interviewing. _Can this please be over already?_ He just hoped that Kyoko wouldn't be watching this, because he knew what was sure to be brought up.

No sooner had he thought it than it happened.

"Now, Ren, bringing up your girlfriend, Kyoko-chan, was it?"

Ren hated this man for not bothering to make sure he knew her name. He hid his anger behind a sparkling smile. "Yes, that's right."

"She's starring in her own drama that'll also be airing soon, right?"

The younger man nodded, "Yes, it's her first lead role."

Ren watched the interviewer warily. He had a bad feeling about what was coming.

"And I've heard that this is her first love role. How do you feel about having to share your girlfriend with her new love interest?"

Ren knew how it sounded to the audience and anyone else watching who had seen the recent news coverage about his relationship. But the comment was cleverly hidden in an innocent question.

He laughed, hiding his irritation. "I'm always happy to see my girlfriend working hard on her new roles. She's a very passionate actress and goes to no end to perform the best she can. Her goal is to give her fans the best drama possible."

They went to commercial break with Ren waving good night to the cameras. He stood to leave the stage and bowed to the host. "Thank you for having me on your show." He told him in his most polite voice.

Waba returned the bow. "Thank you for joining us, Tsuruga-san. Maybe when Kyoko-chan's drama airs we can have her on."

"I'm sure she'd love that." He responded before turning and leaving the stage. He stepped into the wings and met Yashiro who looked concerned about Ren's overly sparkly smile. He didn't broach the subject until they had entered Ren's dressing room though.

"Are you okay, Ren?" the manager asked nervously.

Ren glared at him. "How could I be okay when there are people trying to say those types of things about the woman I love?" he sighed as he collapsed into a chair. He ran a hand over his face, then turned to face Yashiro again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take it out on you. I'm just frustrated."

Yashiro smiled softly. "Yes, I know. Try not to worry too much. I'm sure it'll all pass soon."

Ren shook his head. "This is all that idiot's fault. Her co-star. What's his name."

Yashiro hid his smile. Even he could tell what this was. Ren was exceedingly jealous. Maybe a bit overprotective, but mostly his anger stemmed from jealousy.

He knew from what Ren had told him that both parties had been at fault concerning the Valentine's incident, and he also knew of the fact that Kyoko had passionately defended her co-star. _Jealousy does not become you, Ren._

That night, Kyoko had made sure to watch the interview Yashiro had texted her about. She felt terrible knowing that her idiocy had been the cause of needing to make such an appearance. As she watched, she caught the true meaning of the question asked to her boyfriend.

Kyoko felt her face flush with embarrassment even though she was alone. _I won't let this happen again. I swear to you, Ren. I'll behave appropriately and be sure not to be seen alone with Yukia-kun again._

The next day she went to filming and was pleased to see that most of the staff had resumed their kind treatment of her, with the exception of a few young girls she figured must be really big fans of her boyfriend. As she sat for her make up she was elated to find that the woman who did her make up chatted with her happily. Even bringing up Ren's interview from the previous night, and commenting on how well he spoke of her. Kyoko blushed at the thought.

She soon made it onto set and Yukia found her quickly. This time he was alone.

"Good morning, Kyoko-chan." He greeted her.

Kyoko bowed low. "Good morning, Yukia-kun. Where's James-san?"

"He had to run a couple of errands, so he just dropped me off." He took in the cheerful demeanor of the girl before him. "I saw the interview Tsuruga-san did. Has it helped much?"

Kyoko nodded enthusiastically. "It's already had such a huge effect. Mostly everyone is treating me kindly again."

Yukia smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. And once again I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you."

Kyoko shook her head. "Really it wasn't your fault."

Yukia laughed. "I guess we should just leave it at that then. Otherwise I have a feeling we'll both go back and forth for a while."

Kyoko nodded her agreement. Just then a crew member approached. "The director said we'll begun shooting in five minutes."

They both thanked him and began walking to the set. "Um, Kyoko-chan, do you think it would be okay for us to exchange numbers? I know we probably shouldn't go out anywhere without company but I thought maybe we could still talk." He paused, the smile slipping from his face. "Unless, you don't want to be friends anymore , which I would completely understand."

Kyoko stared at him in shock. "Of course we are still friends!" she quickly pulled out her phone and handed it to him to enter his number. "I even asked Ren to make sure we could still be friends. He said he was totally fine with it."

Yukia typed his number in quickly. He handed back her phone as they stepped to the set. "I'm glad, Kyoko-chan. It's much less lonely to have a friend in Japan."

Over the next week, Kyoko and Yukia hung out once with a few co-stars when they had finished filming on location at the nearby mall. Aside from the few hours spent together at the mall, they had begun sending each other texts here and there with words of encouragement or funny jokes they had heard. Kyoko was happy to have a friend like that. Moko didn't let Kyoko bug her by sending random texts unless it was important. And aside from Moko she didn't have too many friends.

Yukia and Kyoko rarely talked on the phone but when he had had trouble figuring out how to say some of his lines he had called her to inquire about it. Kyoko had been strangely reminded of the times she had helped Ren as Bo, but had been happy to help him.

Over that week, Kyoko didn't get to see Ren except in passing. She was glad that there didn't seem to be any tension between them after their disagreement though.

When it had reached eight days since seeing Kyoko, Ren was beyond excited to hear that his evening filming had been cancelled due to the lead actress not feeling well. He looked at the clock in his car and saw that the time read 3:30. If he was remembering correctly, Kyoko had said she was attending school that whole day for tests and would get out in the afternoon. For the first time in a while he felt like luck was on his side.

Ren drove to her school and parked to the side of the gate. He called her cell phone and waited as it rang.

"This is Kyoko." She answered.

"Are you still at school?" Ren asked, not bothering to clarify who it was. By now she knew his voice even without the help of caller ID.

"Yes, I'm just getting ready to leave though. Are you on a break?"

He noticed that she was careful not to say his name. He assumed since she was in a class with other kids who were in show business she wanted to keep who she was talking to as secret as possible.

"Actually, I'm done for the day. My filming this afternoon got cancelled." He told her happily.

Kyoko laughed, "You sound too happy about that. I thought you enjoyed work."

Ren looked through the windshield of his car and spotted his girlfriend as she exited the school gate. "Yes, but I'd much rather spend the time with you." He watched her face as she talked to him. She was smiling , her happiness reaching her amber eyes.

She was nearly to his car when he stepped out to greet her. He watched as she stopped talking and her eyes stopped on him. Kyoko approached him quickly, closing her phone as she walked.

"Were you even listening to what I was saying?" she scolded him, but he wasn't fooled because he could still see her eyes sparkling.

He shook his head. "I figured you could just tell me whatever you wanted to on the drive back to my place."

Kyoko shot him a playful glare before climbing into the car. Secretly, she was thrilled when she'd seen him standing near her school. Their time together had been so limited lately, and while she enjoyed her conversations with Yukia, they were no substitute for time with Ren.

When they arrived back at Ren's apartment, Ren suggested that they watch a movie before dinner.

Kyoko stared at him.

"What?" he asked with a nervous laugh.

"It just surprised me to hear you suggest watching a movie." She teased.

Ren frowned. "Well, if you don't want to watch the fairy tale movie I rented for you…" He waved around the DVD as he spoke and Kyoko's eyes lit up.

She grabbed it from his hand. "Cinderella?!" she exclaimed.

Ren laughed at her reaction. "I figured you might not have seen it yet. It's a live action one they made last year."

She smiled at him. Then stood on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Do you have any popcorn?"

Nearly two hours later, the movie finished and Kyoko sat staring at the television as the credits scrolled by. She had tears in her eyes. "That was beautiful!" she gushed.

Ren beamed. He had enjoyed watching her reactions more than the actual movie. He had even more enjoyed the fact that for most of the movie she had been content to sit leaning against him with his arm around her.

"I'm glad you liked the movie." He told her as he stood and removed the disc from the player.

Kyoko stood up and stretched. "I'm going to use the bathroom and then I can come and make dinner."

Ren nodded and watched his girlfriend leave the room. He loved seeing how excited she got with princess movies. "I'll have to buy some of these type of movies then I guess." He chuckled at his thought of having a stash of "Kyoko" movies. As he put the disc back into its case he heard a distant ringing sound.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket but found that it was silent. _Oh, maybe Kyoko's phone._ He moved across the room and found her phone tucked into an outside pocket of her school bag.

He took out the phone to check who was calling. _Maybe it's the president. Or Sawara-san._

He stared at the screen as it displayed the caller ID. "Yukia Moore."

 _That's her co-star's name. But why is he calling her._ Before he allowed himself to think on it any deeper, he clicked the ignore button and the call screen disappeared.

Ren heard a voice in his head, _**Why is he calling her? How often does he call her?**_ The voice belonged to his dark self and he wanted to push it away but his curiosity got the better of him.

He clicked until her call log was displayed. He scrolled through it and saw only two calls from Kyoko's co-star. He was pleased to see that most calls were still to him. But he noticed that both calls were from her co-star to her.

 _Is he interested in her after all?_ He wondered. He clicked some more until he found himself staring at Kyoko's text message log. He clicked on Yukia's name.

A surprising number of texts appeared on the screen. He found himself reading the ones from that morning.

 **Yukia: Good morning Kyoko-chan!**

 **You: Good morning Yukia-kun.**

 **Yukia: You have school today right?**

 **You: Yep! Tests all day.**

 **Yukia: Bummer! Do your best Kyoko-chan!**

 **You: Thanks!**

Ren glared at the phone. Why was this boy wishing Ren's girlfriend good luck? He scrolled to older messages from the last few days. He saw a lot of good luck messages between them and several that appeared to be jokes, some of which (he noticed unpleasantly) appeared to be inside jokes between the pair.

He was so entranced by the messages before him that he didn't hear the sound of footsteps coming down his hall.

"Ren? What are you doing?"

 **A/N: Oh no! Ren should really behave himself. How will Kyoko react?**

 **Thanks for reading! I should have the next chapter up tomorrow. :)**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Betrayed by Feelings

"Ren? What are you doing?" Kyoko asked as she stepped back into the living room.

Ren froze, realizing that he was currently holding Kyoko's open phone in his hand. _Do something quick._ He turned to her. Forcing a normal smile on his face.

"Your phone rang while you were in the bathroom." He told her as he closed her phone before handing it back to her.

"Oh?" she asked, accepting the phone. "Who was it?"

Ren's smile faltered for only a split second before he regained composure. "It was your co-star."

Kyoko nodded, "What did he say?"

Ren was confused, had she expected him to answer the phone. "Um, it went to voice-mail before I could answer it." He lied, hoping she wouldn't see through him.

Kyoko looked thoughtful, then placed the phone back into her bag.

"Aren't you going to call him back?" he asked, trying to act nonchalant.

Kyoko stood back up. "No, it's okay. I'm sure he'd leave me a message if it were important." She turned to head into the kitchen. "I'm going to start dinner now, all right?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." Ren called after her. He stood in place staring at her bag. _Why wouldn't she call him back?_ _ **Maybe it's because she wants her conversation with him to be in private. Maybe she can't talk to him in front of you.**_

Ren struggled to push away his dark feelings and tried to enjoy the rest of his time with Kyoko.

That night as Ren lay in bed, he thought about what had happened that day. Kyoko hadn't said anything more about him being on her phone, even on the drive home. _She really trusts me. It didn't even occur to her that I might be lying._ He pulled his pillow over his face and sighed. Guilt was filling him up, pushing out the jealousy he had felt earlier.

 _I can't believe I went through her phone._

 _ **But obviously you were right if she wouldn't call him back with you there.**_ Dark Kuon's voice crept in.

Ren thought about that for a minute. He forced himself to think in Kyoko's mindset, and then groaned in frustration. "You idiot!" he scolded himself. "She was being polite by not talking on the phone while with you. She probably would've done the same if it had been Kotonami-san."

His guilt was eating him alive now. He picked up his phone, tempted to call his girlfriend to confess immediately. Then he saw the time. _Idiot. You're going to call her and wake her up at 2 AM?_

He leaned back into his pillows, feeling miserable. Then an idea struck him. "I know, I'll take her to lunch tomorrow. Someplace really nice that she'll enjoy." _Then I can tell her what I did and maybe she won't be as mad._ He closed his eyes and was finally able to fall asleep.

The next day, Ren had Yashiro check what time the cast at Keishi would be going on lunch break. Yashiro happily bumped one of Ren's meetings by half an hour to give him extra time to eat lunch with Kyoko. So at 11:35, Ren was driving his car to surprise his girlfriend.

He pulled in at TBM and easily gained access when he inquired about what studio the drama was being filmed in. He made his way to the elevator and stepped out at the correct floor.

He wasn't quite sure what he expected when he entered the set, but he had not expected to see his girlfriend embracing another guy. To be fair, he was watching Kimi fervently kissing Leo, but that didn't lessen the shock at seeing it.

Leo pulled away from Kimi and they stared into each other's eyes.

"I love you, Kimi," Leo said softly.

Kimi smiled at him lovingly. "I love you too."

"Cut!" the director yelled, startling Ren. "That was great you two! I really felt the chemistry. Now let's break for lunch and meet back in an hour."

The director turned around and spotted Ren. "Ah, Tsuruga-san! What a pleasant surprise!"

It was too late for Ren to just walk away, now he had to give a proper greeting. He watched as Kyoko walked away to the refreshments table with Yukia. She apparently hadn't noticed him.

He turned back to the director with a forced smile. "Hello, Director-san. It's nice to meet you." They shook hands. "I was actually just coming by to see if Kyoko-chan would join me for lunch."

The director smiled, "I should've figured as much." He laughed and clapped Ren on the shoulder. "Just be sure to get her back for filming." He said with a wink at Ren before moving away to talk to his assistant.

Ren moved across the set quickly, trying to ignore the stares he was receiving. Finally he made it near to where Kyoko was chatting with Yukia. He watched as Yukia said something and Kyoko laughed. _Is she flirting?_ He wondered as he watched her.

Kyoko reached out and touched Yukia's hair. To Ren it looked like a loving gesture. But in reality, Kyoko was removing a piece of string that had somehow come off of Yukia's costume and wound up in his hair.

Ren moved quickly. He didn't appreciate another man trying to get close to his girlfriend. So what if they were playing love interests? That was where it ended. And he certainly wasn't going to allow Kyoko to fall for this foreign actor and his British charms.

Before Kyoko knew what was happening, Ren was at her side. She glanced up at him in shock as he wrapped an arm around her waste.

"Hello, darling," he said sweetly.

"Wha- Ren? What're you doing here?" she sputtered, trying to make sense of his sudden appearance.

Ren turned to Yukia who looked surprised. He held out his hand. "You must be Yukia-kun? I'm Ren Tsuruga. Thank you for taking such good care of my girlfriend."

Kyoko watched as they shook hands. She could feel the anger coming off of him in waves despite the sparkling smile on his face.

 _What is he so angry about?_ She wondered.

"If you'll excuse us, Yukia-kun. I had planned to take Kyoko to lunch today."

Yukia nodded, a little confused about what was happening and why the man in front of him was giving him such a sparkling smile. Was he really that happy to meet his girlfriend's co-star?

He nodded in response to Ren's words. Then waved to Kyoko. "I'll see you after lunch then. Have fun."

Kyoko stared up at Ren. For some reason, as he watched Yukia walk away he had a smug expression on his face. Kyoko wasn't sure what was going on, but she knew one thing. Ren was angry with Yukia, and had very nearly humiliated her with his behavior. And she was not happy.

She stepped away from Ren and grabbed his hand pulling him along after her as they exited the studio. Kyoko was silent in the elevator and when they made it out to the parking she only spoke to ask him where his car was. They climbed in and she shot a glare at him as he began to drive them to their destination.

"Okay, so what's going on?" Kyoko asked, pushing back her grudges who were trying to feast on the anger filling the car.

"What do you mean?" Ren responded, his sparkling smile still present on his face.

"I mean, you're angry. Your sparkly smiles don't fool me. Why are you angry with Yukia-kun?"

Ren couldn't believe she still didn't get it. "You're right. I have absolutely no reason to be angry with this guy who nearly ruined my girlfriend's reputation, texts her wishing her good luck before exams, and flirts openly with her on set."

Kyoko's head was spinning as she tried to process everything Ren had just said. She took a deep breath. "First, the hotel thing was my fault too. Not just his, and I thought we were done bringing that up. Second, how would you know what Yukia-kun texts me?"

She stopped talking as she waited for an answer.

 _Dammit._ Ren thought. When he stayed silent, Kyoko continued talking. "Did you go through my texts?" she asked in disbelief.

"I just wanted to check if he was texting you since he had called you. And what do I find? An awful lot of texts considering you two are just co-stars."

Kyoko missed the implications in his words in her hurry to defend herself. "That's because we are friends." She could feel her irritation growing at Ren's ridiculous attitude. "I thought you said it was fine for me and him to continue being friends."

"What was I supposed to say? That I didn't want you to be friends with him. That I wish you hadn't taken this drama role in the first place."

Kyoko's grudges were fully out now. She had given up restraining them at his last sentence. "Yes! Maybe you should've been honest with me about everything." She crossed her arms and looked out the car window. "Maybe you should just tie me up if you're so concerned about who I'm talking to." She said, her voice a near whisper.

Even still, Ren could hear the anger in her words. He remembered when she had said something similar as Setsu, but this time it had a whole different meaning.

He pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant he had planned for them to have lunch at, although neither of them had much of an appetite anymore.

"Look," Ren began as he parked. "I just worry because you're so trusting. He likes you and your oblivious to what he's trying to do." He could feel Kuon rising inside of him, and struggled to keep control.

Kyoko stared at her boyfriend. She gave a hollow laugh. "And just what do you think he's trying to do?" She could feel that Natsu was leaking into her words now. Apparently, Natsu didn't appreciate Ren's attitude.

Kuon leaped up inside of Ren at her words. "You don't get it. He's trying to steal you from me. He's interested in you." He emphasized his last words to make a point.

Kyoko was back to herself now. Most of the anger leaving her as she realized the weight of what Ren was saying. She shook her head. "He's not interested in me."

It was Kuon's turn to laugh. "And how do you know that?"

Kyoko opened her mouth to respond. Then closed it. She couldn't tell Ren anything without telling Yukia's secret.

Kuon stared at Kyoko. "Are you sure it's Kimi who's falling for him, and not you?"

 _Smack!_

Kyoko slapped Ren across the face. He stared at her, eyes wide. Kuon was gone now, he had returned to himself at the stinging feeling of her hand on his cheek, and it was only then that he saw the tears flooding her eyes.

 **A/N: I've been waiting to write this chapter for so long. And I wrote three versions of the ending before I was satisfied with it. Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading! Should have the next chapter up tomorrow. :) (iit's Friday morning for me right now lol)**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: The Plan

"Are you sure it's Kimi who's falling for him, and not you?"

 _Smack!_

Ren sat frozen in place. He could feel a stinging sensation on his cheek. But what pained him more was the sight before him. Tears were filling Kyoko's eyes, threatening to spill over.

Her face was a mixture of anger, sadness, and pain. "How dare you!" she choked out.

"You really think that after all I've been through to get back this emotion that I'd just throw it all away so easily?" A few tears ran down her face, but Ren could see that her anger was rapidly taking control over her other emotions.

"You are the only person I've ever truly loved. It took months for me to admit that. And after everything we've been through? You took care of me when I had no one else." Her voice had begun to quiet. She was quickly losing her anger as it faded until only hurt remained.

In a voice that was barely above a whisper, she spoke, her voice pleading. "Do you really trust me so little?"

Before Ren could respond she had flown from the car. Jumping out she began to run down the sidewalk. Ren rested his head against the steering wheel. He knew there was no point in chasing after her. There was nothing he could say to her right now that would make things better.

He lifted his head, then slammed his fist into the wheel causing the horn to sound. "Dammit! Ren, you idiot!" he yelled. He shook his head. He honestly had no answer for what had happened, or why he had lost control.

He leaned his head back down, feeling a nauseous feeling in his stomach, he closed his eyes. _You've really done it this time, Kuon._ He didn't know when the tears had begun to fall from his own eyes, but he soon found himself sobbing at the brokenness he was feeling.

Kyoko was running. She wasn't really sure where to, she just knew she had to get away. Tears flowed freely down her face. _I can't believe I slapped him! What's wrong with me?_

She slowed her running to a walk. "Even if he did deserve it, I shouldn't have slapped him. He's probably going to be really angry about that."

She felt a pain in her chest as she thought of all the things he had said.

" _Are you sure it's Kimi who's falling for him, and not you?"_

 _How could he even think that? Does he really not realize how I feel about him?_ She worked hard to think of all the times they had discussed her relationship with Yukia. She tried to think of everything as if she didn't know Yukia's secret.

She felt her knees go weak and she collapsed in the middle of the sidewalk. _I guess it really could be taken that we are more than just friends._ The tears that had begun to dry on her cheeks began anew as she sat frozen on the sidewalk.

After sitting in his car for as long as he could he checked the time and realized he had to head back to the agency to get ready for his next meeting. Although right now he felt he wasn't in any condition to talk to people.

He had just parked his car in the agency's parking garage when he heard his phone ringing. Except it wasn't his phone.

He stared down at the flip phone in his hand. _She forgot her phone._ He opened it and saw the name on the caller ID. _Of course. The last person I want to talk to right now._

He clicked the button to answer and pressed the phone to his ear. "What is it?" he answered, his voice betraying his irritation.

"Um, I was looking for Kyoko-chan." Yukia said uncertainly.

Ren sighed. "Well, she's not with me."

"She's not? We're five minutes past lunch and the director was getting worried because she isn't here yet. Do you know where she went?" Ren could hear the concern in Yukia's voice and it just made him feel worse.

 _I don't deserve someone like her. She'd be better off with someone who wasn't so selfish._

"I don't know where she is." He answered, feeling defeated. _Why hadn't Kyoko returned to the studio yet?_ He struggled not to think the worst.

Yukia's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Kyoko-chan!" he exclaimed, before returning to the phone. "She's just arrived, Tsuruga-san. Did you want to talk to her?"

"No," he answered hurriedly. "Just let her know I'll leave her phone for her at our agency."

Ren hung up the phone. He closed his eyes trying to calm his heart. For a moment he'd had flashbacks to that terrible day when she had been in the accident. He was relieved to hear that she was fine. He just hoped soon they could be fine together.

Back at TBM, Yukia stared at his co-star. She was talking to the director, bowing and apologizing for being late. Saying she needed a few minutes.

Yukia took in her appearance. Her hair was windblown, her eyes red and puffy, her clothes were disheveled and he couldn't help but notice that the normal sparkle she had in her eye was gone, leaving only emptiness.

He watched as she walked down the hall to her dressing room. James glanced at him and Yukia nodded, before following Kyoko. When he reached her dressing room, he knocked gently on the door. Something had obviously happened between Tsuruga-san and Kyoko-chan, now he just wanted to make sure his friend would be okay.

"Kyoko-chan, it's Yukia. Can I come in please?"

He listened for her reply, but the only response he received was the sound of the door unlocking. He took that to mean yes and opened the door. Peering in, he saw that the lights were still off and Kyoko was kneeling on the floor in the middle of the room, her face buried in her hands.

Yukia hurried to her side. "Kyoko-chan, what happened?" he asked. He could feel himself starting to panic. He didn't do well in these sort of situations.

Kyoko lifted her head to look at him and he saw tears on her face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and gently dabbed at her face.

"Did something happen with Tsuruga-san?" he watched as the name of her boyfriend triggered a flicker in her eyes.

"Yukia-kun, I think I've lost him. I think he's going to leave me." Her body shook with sobs and Yukia couldn't help but hug her.

He stroked her hair. "It'll be okay. I'm sure you two will work it out."

Kyoko shook her head. "He- I-"she took a breath trying to calm herself enough to speak. "We fought. And I-I slapped him."

Yukia's eyes widened in surprise. He had a difficult time imagining the girl before him striking anyone. "What did he do to cause that?"

"He said that he thought I was in love with you. Not just my character. He's jealous of you." She told him, her voice thick with emotion.

Yukia closed his eyes. _Somehow my actions have managed to hurt this girl again._ He tried to push away the feeling of guilt within him. _There's no time for self-pity. I need to help Kyoko._

He grasped her shoulders and held her away so he could look into her eyes. "I'll fix this for you, Kyoko-chan. This is because of me."

Kyoko shook her head. "No, it's not your fault. And I don't want to trouble you with my problems any more than I already have. Please don't worry about it."

Yukia sighed. _She tries so hard to be strong._ "At least let me handle things with the director. You're in no condition to continue filming."

She jumped up. "N-no. I need to. I can't inconvenience everyone like that. I need to-"

Yukia hushed her. "Don't worry about it. Just get your stuff together. I'll talk to the director." He exited the room and nodded to James who was waiting just outside.

"I'm going to talk to the director. We'll take her home after this. She needs to be alone to rest."

"That sounds like it would be best," James replied touching Yukia's shoulder gently. "I'll wait here for her."

Kyoko stared after her co-star. _He's so kind to me._ She thought. As much as she tried to convince herself she could continue acting today she knew she wouldn't be able to. So she quickly gathered her things. It was only then that Kyoko realized she didn't have her cell phone.

 _I must have left it in his car._ The thought of having to see him again so soon made her heart twist painfully.

There was another knock on her door and when she opened it she saw James waiting for her.

He smiled at her sadly. "Are you ready, Kyoko-chan?"

She nodded and he took her bag to carry it. "Thank you, James-san. I appreciate your help. Both of you."

He smiled at her, and gently patted her head.

Yukia returned to them. "I spoke to the director. I told him you have a severe migraine and need to go home. He said that's fine. We'll resume filming tomorrow."

Kyoko nodded, relieved to hear that she was free from her current obligations. Yukia and James led her outside to the rental car and began the drive home, both Yukia and Kyoko riding in the back seat.

Yukia was happy to see that some of the color had returned to her face, but she still looked lost. The more he looked at her the worse he felt about his involvement in the situation. _If I had realized sooner I could've done something to prevent this._ He scolded himself.

They pulled up near the Darumaya and Yukia climbed out with his friend. He carried her bag and kept an arm around her to help her keep walking. They entered through the side door and we're met by the Okami.

She looked surprised to see a boy with Kyoko but her surprise turned to worry when she saw Kyoko's hopeless expression. "Kyoko-chan, are you okay?"

Being unsure of how much Kyoko would want known, Yukia decided to go with their previous lie. "She just has a migraine. Could you tell me where her room is?" he asked, as politely as he could manage.

She nodded. "It's just up the stairs. On the right."

He thanked her and led Kyoko upstairs. When they made it to her room, he helped her to lay down and covered her with the blanket. "Rest. You need to sleep. Everything will seem better after you sleep." He told her gently.

Kyoko doubted his words but appreciated his sincerity. She grabbed his hand in hers. "Thank you, Yukia-kun. For everything."

He gave her a small smile before leaving.

When he reached the car, he climbed into the front seat. James looked at him with interest. "You look like you have a plan."

Yukia nodded, his face solemn. "This whole thing is partially my fault. I need to try to fix it." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number he had for LME.

"Hello, my name is Yukia Moore. I'm an actor from the William Morris agency in London. I need the number for Ren Tsuruga's manager."

Yashiro felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and quickly checked the caller ID. _Unknown. Well, that's not too unusual._ He excused himself from the room, leaving Ren to continue his meeting.

He answered as he stepped into the hall. "This is Yashiro."

"Hello, Yashiro-san. My name is Yukia Moore, I'm co-starring in the drama with Kyoko-chan."

Yashiro was surprised. He vaguely remembered the name from conversations with Ren, but why was this guy calling him. "Um, yes? How can I help you?"

"Does Tsuruga-san seem strange right now?" Yukia asked.

Yashiro glanced through the small window on the door. Inside the meeting room he could see that Ren's smile didn't meet his eyes. He had noticed when he had met him at the entrance things were off. After all, the subject of Kyoko did not seem to be one Ren wanted to discuss.

"Yes, do you know why that is?" he answered suspiciously.

"He and Kyoko-chan had an argument. I think I can help to clear up some of the misunderstandings but I need to be able to speak with Tsuruga-san privately. Could we arrange to meet for dinner this evening?"

Yashiro flipped open his planner. "We wouldn't be able to meet until nearly eleven."

He listened and heard Yukia speaking in English with someone else. "Yes, that will work. Should I text you once I've made the reservation?"

"That's fine, Yukia-san. I appreciate your concern."

Yukia took a breath. "I'm just hoping I can help. Both of them are probably complete wrecks right now, and I can't stand to see Kyoko-chan like that."

Yashiro was touched. He only hoped the plan would work.

 **A/N: what's going to happen now? Can Yukia and Yashiro fix things? Next chapter will be posted tomorrow. :) we only have one more chapter and then the epilogue. There will be another part to this story. :) I'm beginning work on it as we speak. Thanks for reading!**

 **If anyone had an interest my songs for this chapter (I always use music for my stories) were**

 **For Ren- Who I Am Hayes Who I've Been by Reliant K**

 **For Kyoko- Hate to See Your Heart Break by Paramore**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Confessions

"Tell me again, why you're dragging me to a last minute dinner appointment at eleven at night?" Ren asked, his irritation leaking through into his voice.

Yashiro winced at his charge's tone. "It was of the utmost importance. The other party said it's an issue that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible, which meant tonight."

"If this is anything stupid, I will hold you responsible." Ren growled.

Yashiro gulped. _Please have been telling me the truth, Yukia-san._

They pulled in at a nice restaurant and Ren gave his keys to the valet. He followed Yashiro in, not bothering to hide his disinterest in being there. The manager checked in with the hostess, then the two men followed her to a private dining room.

She opened the door and bowed to them before leaving. Yashiro stepped in and greeted the people inside. Ren stood frozen in the doorway. Inside the room stood Yukia Moore and someone who Ren could only assume was his manager. He briefly wondered what his chances were that his car was still parked just outside and he could make an escape.

"Tsuruga-san," Yukia greeted him, bowing. "It's a pleasure to see you again. This is my manager James."

Ren gave a slight bow. "I'm not sure I understand."

Yukia nodded. "I know you're probably confused, but I ask that you please take a seat and I can explain everything."

Ren sat down shooting a sideways glance at Yashiro asking if he had known who this was. And Yashiro made sure to be deeply interested in his cloth napkin.

"Tsuruga-san," Yukia began, uncertainly. He struggled to keep the nervousness from his voice, but Ren Tsuruga was an intimidating man.

Ren nodded to the younger man. "What did you need to discuss with me?"

"I know what happened between you and Kyoko-chan today."

Ren gritted his teeth. _Am I going to be lectured by a teenager now?_

"And I think I need to tell you some things that may help to ease your mind." Yukia watched for Ren's reaction but his face was carefully kept blank. He sighed and continued.

"I am not in any way interested in Kyoko in any way other than platonically."

He saw a flicker of disbelief in Ren's face.

"Look, I would be more likely to be interested in you," Yukia heard James clear his throat. "Than in her."

Ren felt anger flare up. Was this boy telling him that he thought Kyoko was unattractive? Or not worth his attention? "And what is that supposed to mean?"

A look of understanding crossed Yashiro's face and he caught James' eye to confirm his suspicion. James gave a slight nod.

Yukia was grateful when Yashiro tapped Ren's shoulder, breaking the glare the older man was shooting him. Yashiro whispered something to Ren causing the actor to blush slightly at his own ignorance.

He turned back to Yukia, the anger gone from his face, replaced only by shame. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize."

Yukia waved his hands. "No, it's okay. I have worked hard to make sure people don't know. James is one of the only people who do know. As well as, Kyoko-chan."

Suddenly, everything made sense to Ren. Kyoko's lack of understanding his jealousy which he now saw was completely unfounded. Guilt flooded him as he realized just how out of line he had been with everything he had said and done.

"Since your argument was caused by my secret, I felt it only right to tell you. I do care for Kyoko-chan, as a friend and I hated seeing her so hurt today. I had to ask the director to postpone the rest of filming until tomorrow because she seemed so distressed." Yukia explained.

Ren rested his head in his hand. "I really messed up."

Yukia chuckled. "I think things will be okay though. You both love each other very much." He paused, "But if you can manage to talk to her before she arrives on set tomorrow, I think that might help."

Ren smiled weakly. "Thank you, Yukia-kun. I'm sorry for having caused all this. If I hadn't been so unreasonable this never would've happened."

Ren spent the rest of the meal in silence, not listening to the others' conversation. He was too distracted trying to figure out how on earth he was ever going to make this up to Kyoko.

When Kyoko awoke the next morning, she was surprised to find that she had slept through the night. She was even more surprised to see that she was still in her clothes from the prior day. It was then that she remembered the events that had occurred. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself.

 _The last thing you need is to start crying again. You can't hold off work anymore, so suck it up and get moving._

She went and took a shower, before dressing into her clothes for the day. She didn't have to be at TBM until 11:30 so she decided to use some of that time to go to LME to retrieve her phone. She just hoped she wouldn't run into Ren.

Kyoko finished brushing her hair, and collected her bag before heading downstairs. She greeted Okami and Taisho, thanking them for their concern. And reassuring them she felt much better.

She opened the door and stepped outside to get her bicycle. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Ren leaning against his car. She grabbed her bicycle and walked it out to the sidewalk, hoping to get away before he said anything.

"Kyoko?" he asked, when she passed him without even looking at him.

She stopped, not turning around. His voice had frozen her in place. She heard his footsteps approaching her.

He reached out his hand to touch her shoulder but pulled back. He didn't want to touch her and have her freak out. "Kyoko, can I please speak with you?"

She took a shaky breath, then spun around bowing deeply. "I am so sorry for slapping you! I know I shouldn't have no matter how hurt or angry I was."

Ren stared at her in shock. The last thing he had expected was an apology from the woman he had hurt so much. He touched her head, lifting it so she was looking at him. Well, almost looking at him. She still refused to meet his eyes.

"Kyoko, I'm the one who needs to apologize. I was stupid and allowed my jealousy to control my actions. I acted childishly." He paused when he noticed that she was now staring into his eyes. "This was your first lead role and it should've been a happy memory for you. But I'm afraid I've ruined it with my behavior. If I had concerns I should've come to talk to you about it instead of letting it get to me."

He looked down and scratched the back of his head. "I know I don't deserve your forgiveness. And I know even more now that I don't deserve you. I understand that this is probably it for us-"

He was cut off by Kyoko who threw her arms around him in a hug. She buried her face in his chest. Then she looked up at him, smiling.

"Ren, of course I forgive you. It means a lot to me that you would come to me to apologize." She looked away shyly, a blush appearing on her cheeks. "And as long as you still want me… I still want to be with you."

He leaned down then and kissed her lips, catching her by surprise, and completely forgetting that they were standing in the middle of the sidewalk.

Someone whistled nearby and Kyoko pushed Ren away. Her whole face was bright red now. Ren laughed at her reaction.

"Ren! We are in public." She scolded. But she couldn't hide the small smile that had crept onto her mouth.

He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Well, then let's go somewhere private."

She glanced at him and saw that he had gone completely emperor of the night. She jumped away. "Don't you have work today?"

Ren laughed again. It felt so good to laugh after everything they had been through recently. "I do. But I can still take my girlfriend to breakfast first." He grabbed her hand and pulled her along.

"Wait! My bike." She yelled.

Ren let go of her just long enough to put her bicycle back against Darumaya before heading back to help her into his car.

"Now can we go?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

Kyoko nodded, and climbed into her seat. _It feels so nice not to be fighting anymore._

The entire drive was spent in a happy silence as Kyoko watched Ren out of the corner of her eye. He had a gentle smile on his mouth that reached to his eyes.

When they finally stopped, they went inside of the café that Ren had picked. The two sat together and ordered their breakfasts when the waitress came over.

Ren took a drink of his coffee and then began to speak, "I think I should stop in when I drop you off for your filming, and say hi to Yukia-kun."

Kyoko looked surprised. "Really?"

Ren laughed. "Yes, I actually need to thank him. He talked to me last night and set things straight."

"So, does that mean…?" she asked.

He nodded. "That he told me about him and James? Yes."

Kyoko smiled. "That's good. Maybe the two of you can be friends now."

"I think I'd like that. After all, he cares about you a great deal, so I know we have at least that in common."

Kyoko blushed. "That and you both have kissed me." She teased.

Ren shook his head at her teasing. "Careful not to get a big head about it."

They continued eating, chatting about plans for their day and how the filming for the drama was going. When they had finished Kyoko reached across the table to touch Ren's hand.

He looked up at her and she smiled. "I've made a decision."

"A decision? About what?"

She laughed. "Don't tell me you've already forgotten. Didn't you ask me if I wanted to move in with you?" although there was a smile on her face, Ren could see the uncertainty in her eyes.

"Yes, I did. I just figured that you probably wouldn't want to now." He answered sheepishly.

Kyoko squeezed his hand gently. "My answer is yes."

Ren looked at her, open-mouthed. "Really?"

She nodded then looked down. "Although I won't be able to move in right away. I think I should give Okami-san at least a month's notice before leaving since I won't be able to help out there anymore. And I expect to pay my share of expenses." She returned her gaze to Ren.

He was smiling a big goofy smile that she couldn't remember having seen on him before.

"What?" she asked.

He shook his head, "Nothing. I'm just really happy."

 **A/N: Yay! Everything worked out in the end. :) next time it'll be the epilogue, and in tthat chapter I'll include the title and summary for part 4. :) that should be up sometime tomorrow! And I'd just like to say a special thanks to all my readers and reviewers who have stuck with me through this series. I had really hoped that other people would enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it! I've got at least 3-4 more parts planned for this story. :) possibly more if I break some of it up into shorter stories. :)**

 **Thanks again!**

 **-marauderluverz**


	14. Epilogue

Epilogue: Moving Day

 **One month later**

Kyoko carried in the last of her boxes, this one was small and contained things such as her curse doll supplies, and her small box that held Princess Rosa. She stepped inside of the apartment careful not to trip over the few boxes scattered throughout the living room.

Most of the items within the apartment were the same, she hadn't really had too much to bring with her. But Ren had taken it upon himself to spend the last month buying things to make Kyoko feel more at home. These purchases included more specialty cooking supplies, that Ren had had no use for previously.

She stepped into Ren's bedroom. _Although, I guess it's our bedroom now._ She thought as she set her box on the bed and began unpacking it. She opened the drawers of her nightstand and filled them with her things.

When she stepped into the large walk-in closet she saw that Ren had made sure to leave her plenty of space, although she sadly noticed she didn't have nearly enough clothes to fill that as well as the new dresser he had bought her.

She sighed, staring at the empty space. The sound of footsteps came from behind her and she turned to see Ren. She smiled.

"Here's a box labeled clothes. I figured you might want that in here." He set it down on the floor, then moved to hug her from behind. He rested his chin against her shoulder. "I'm happy you're here. It won't be so lonely anymore."

Kyoko poked his face. "Yes, but now you'll be miserable because you'll be forced to eat breakfast and dinner everyday."

He laughed. "I think I can handle making that sacrifice."

She turned around in his arms to face him. "You really didn't need to buy me a dresser. I don't have nearly enough clothes to fill it and the closet." She scolded.

"Well, that's all right, because soon I'll take you shopping and we can get so many things that you'll run out of space." He ruffled her hair affectionately.

She scowled at him. "I told you, you can't keep buying me things. You're worse than Cain Nii-san."

"Then maybe I'll just have to take Setsu shopping. At least she won't complain."

Kyoko's face flushed red. "You can't take her. Who knows what kind of stuff she'll pick out."

Ren leaned down to meet her mouth with his. The kiss was sweet but brief. He pulled away, a teasing glint in his eye. "Then maybe, _Kyoko_ , shouldn't complain."

She stuck out her lip in a pout. "Fine. I won't complain."

He patted her head again. "That's better." He moved to leave the closet pulling her along after him. He led her to the bed and they sat down next to each other.

"I wanted to let you know, the director from your drama contacted me. Yashiro scheduled a meeting with him for tomorrow afternoon." He paused watching Kyoko's face for her reaction.

She nodded, "Do you know what he wants to discuss?"

"I don't know for sure, but I think he's wanting me to play a guest star role in your drama. I wanted to talk to you about it first though." He gently squeezed her hand. "If you tell me you don't want me to take the part, I won't take it. I don't want to take this away from you anymore than I already-"

Kyoko interrupted his speech with a kiss. "It wouldn't ruin anything." She told him, trying not to laugh at the look on his face. "In fact, I think it's a great idea. Having you in the drama even for just one episode would probably increase ratings."

Ren laughed at her way of thinking. "So you just want to use me?"

Kyoko nodded. "Yes, I'm pretty sure that's what it is." she laughed again at the indignant look he had on his face.

"Well, I'm glad to be of service to you." He said, pretending to be hurt by her words.

She reached up and ruffled his hair, copying his frequently used gesture. "Oh, Ren." She teased.

He grabbed her hand as she started to move it away, and used it to pull her to him. He stared down at her through his dark brown eyes. "I love you, Kyoko."

She stared up at him, and smiled. "I love you too, Ren. I really do."

 **A/N: Thank you so much for reading this story. I have greatly enjoyed writing it and enjoying it with you. The fourth part will be up starting Friday. But for now here's the title and summary for it. :) thank you for reading and reviewing!**

Fourth in this Series: Picking Up the Pieces

Summary: Kyoko is enjoying starring in her first drama and her relationship with Ren is going great! But when she discovers a secret that Ren's been hiding, how will she deal with it? Can their relationship survive a secret this big?

 **See you soon!**


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